To Save Myself
by yesterdaysmaybe
Summary: Atemu Sennen is a normal kid living a normal life. Until the day he is kidnapped. Days later he is found barely whole and barely alive. But he's changed. And claims to be someone else. Named Yami. Is he telling the truth or delusional? And what of Atemu?
1. Prologue: Bloody Brilliance

_**Hello people! So I know I promised you guys a new puzzleshipping story momths ago. Sorry it's taken so long! The reason why is simple: I got too many stroies in my head. I already have at least five chapters written of three other puzzleshipping story ideas in my notebooks. I decided to just put the names of the stories in a hat and picked one. This is the one fate chose. For those of you unfamiliar with the inspiration of the story this is primarily based off the movie " I Know Who Killed Me." But I will be adding different elements to the story to make it both interesting and stand on it's own in a way. So here's hoping you like it and enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or I know Who Killed Me. Let's get started!**_

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><p><em><strong>Prologue- Bloody Brilliance<strong>_

_**Amber. Silver. Red. Black. Nightime colors all too common to his eyes. Anticipation. Want. Need. Lust. Joy. Fascination. He knew them all too well. The patrons of the Bara No Yakan ( The Night Rose) strip club always looked the same to him merging in to one group face. All he needed to do to persuade them to give up the green paper in their wallets was dance. Dance in a way no other ordinary person could. Dance with sexual promise as his partner. Dance with the devil and flirt with one's desire to entice and invite. Then when the dancing was done, fulfill that promise to the highest bidder. And any regular at the Bara No Yakan could tell you here and now that he certainly knew how to fulfill every promise he made.**_

_**He parted the red velvet curtains draped in sparkly red beads, their shine catching the lights from the stage. With all the swagger and grace of a jungle cat he walked out on to the stage and grasped the metal pole in his hand. The white lights hit his face revealing him to the crowd. His hair was wildly spiked skywards, the ends tipped in red. Golden blonde streaks ran though his hair, then fell down in sharp jagged lines down his perfectly angled face. Hard crimson eyes stared out at the crowd taking in everything without really seeing anything. Pale smooth skin stretched over a body men would kill for and women wanted to posess. Lean defined muscles rippled through his flesh, the sight tantalizing the eyes pleasantly. Simply put, this young man was sinfully beautiful. He knew that. But more often than not he found himself hating it. But that wasn't allowed to change. Not if he wanted the money his body gave to profit. Tonight he adorned his body expertly. Dressed to kill.**_

_**On his hands were elbow length black cloth gloves torn and ripped along his arms held together almost in vain by small linked chains. His torso was cothed in a black leather vest with a single zipper down the front. On his legs riding dangerously low on his hips were shiny black leather pants, so tight they might have been painted on to his body leaving very little to the imagination. Black buckled boots finished his outfit off splendidly. By their eyes alone he could already tell they loved him and he hadn't even started yet. By the time he was done they would worship him. If the pain didn't get in the way first. All day today it had hindered and angered him. Even the simplest of movements made him want to scream. No. This was a game between him and his pain and there were no doubts allowed. Just dance. Four minutes of eye-pleasing service and then he could scream more. The lights dimmed to a sinful shade of red and the heavy rock music began blaring through the speakers, the disco ball overhead caught the lights casting blocks of red and white everywhere. Game start.**_

_**He schooled his features to become soft and tense all at once as if just the first notes of the music had turned him on. He held on to the pole as he slid his back down it's length, then slowly came back up again. He turned then grapsed the pole with both hands and ground his hips up and down against the metal. He heard a whistle. So far so good. He came around the pole still holding on with one hand as he slowly ran his fingers through his hair with the other, shooting a sultry look at the crowd. He leaned forward and rolled his shoulders then rolled his body back and shifted his hips from side to side to the beat as he tossed his head back and forth like a wild mustang. Now for the hard part. Grittting his teeth behind closed lips he faced the pole then reached up above his head and grasped the pole with both hands tightly. Pain. He breathed deeply then with a jump lifted his body up and held it in a perfectly straight line in the air.**_

_**He held this pose for several seconds the pain turning one of his most popular dance moves in to an excellent form of tourture. He arched his back away from the pole then let his hands slide his body back down. The music was loud. He used that to his advantage. No one heard the scream in his throat as he gave in to the pain. Already he was losing the game. But not his audience. He was panting through his nose now but the sultry, seductive look never left his face. He narrowed his eyes at the crowd as he held one hand above himself on the dancing pole. With his other hand he reached up for the zipper of his vest then pulled down. Hard, toned abs glistening with perspiration greeted the audience who looked on with shameless wonder. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he slid down the pole again. The crowd's cat calls and cheers told him he was doing just fine.**_

_**The blood coating his hand and running in thick rivers down the shiny metal said otherwise.**_

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><p><em><strong>Done! So how did you like the stripping? ( Waggles eyebrows.) Merry christmas YamiAtemu fans! Please R&R and happy holidays!**_


	2. The Life And Times Of Atemu Sennen

**_Hello! Here's the next chapter of To save myself. Disclaimer: I dunna own a ting. Notta ting, notta ting. ( Something my aunt says. Why, I dun know...)_**

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><p><em><strong>The Life And Times Of Atemu Sennen<strong>_

_**" He knew a trick. He knew how to turn his life in to a movie, and watch things happen. Not to him. Never to him. But to someone who looked just like him. Was he the runaway with everything he owned in a ratty old backpack? Or was he watching a movie about a hitch hiking boy on a lonely highway? A truck slowed until the boy squinted in to the headlights. But one good look at him and the trucker couldn't get out of there fast enough. He didn't even have the strength to curse him as he choked on the dust of his spinning wheels." The young man lowered his paper and looked back at the class with a small, sad smile. " To be continued." He closed the binder that had been housing his latest project as the students smiled and applauded him politely. As he inclined his head in respect a small frown centered to his features. His glasses were slipping. Darn. He reached up and pushed the black square frames back to their proper place on his nose. He was glad that was over. He hated speaking publicly, no matter how required it was.**_

_**Standing at 5'7 he wasn't the tallest guy around. But his features certainly made him stand out. A wild halo of black and red hair grew from his head, lined with blonde streaks. Sharp, jagged blonde bangs fell around a perfectly angled face with high cheekbones and hollowed out cheeks. Sharp, crimson eyes alight with a kind of calculating intelligence peered through his reading glasses at his peers. Underneath the school uniform consisting of a white button-down shirt, blue blazer and slacks was a toned and healthy body dusted with a light healthy tan. All in all he was a very attractive young man. He knew this. Still he didn't like to flaunt himself to the masses like so many of the other so-called " Pretty boys" of the college. No, he was reserved for someone special. " Thank you, Mr. Sennen. Well done." His teacher praised. He smiled and murmured a quiet ' thank you' to his teacher, then Atemu Sennen walked back to his seat and then sat down to focus his attention forward. Be it either on another lesson plan or the next poor soul who would have to sell his or her story to the rest of the creative writing class.**_

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><p><em><strong>Home again. Atemu let the music flow steadily from his fingers as he tapped and caressed each ebony and ivory key with practiced expertise. Chopin Valse Brillante, Op 34, no.2 in A minor. It was the song both he and his music instructor Max Pegasus had chosen. It was a beautiful melody which did indeed reqire a fair ammount of skill to play, yet it wasn't overdone either. Behind him Mr. Pegasus watched on with one dark brown analyzing eye, the other having been lost years ago in an accident. His left missing eye and the whole side of his face was hidden behind a wave of his straight silvery hair while the rest fell down his back. He watched carefully evaluating his student as Atemu sat on the soft leather stool and played. He was doing fine...until his cellphone rang from where it lay on top of the piano. The caller ID screen said <strong>' Yugi.'** Atemu let a small smile spread on to his features as he looked at the name of his boyfriend. In that moment when he was unfocused his hand stumbled on the keys. A disappointed sigh behind him reached his ears and Atemu stopped playing, his face properly flushed in embarassment.**_

_**" I apologize Mr. Pegasus. I know I should know this well enough by now." He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes and sighed heavily.**_

_**" You've been distracted lately, Atemu-boy. And I think I know why." He smiled kindly at his student as his eye darted over to the phone. Atemu followed his gaze then cleared his throat uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck.**_

_**" Sorry." Pegasus chuckled and moved to his side then sat down beside his pupil.**_

_**" Never apologize for being in love. I was young once too, you know. I've been there." Atemu shared a smile with his music teacher as he thought about Yugi. Only a year younger and two inches shorter than himself Yugi Mutou and Atemu had met three years ago in high school. What had struck them both speechless at first sight was how alike they looked. Yugi's hair was exactly like Atemu's, only the blonde streaks were not present in the fray of black and red. Blonde, jagged bangs much like his framed a rounder, younger face. Two bright amethyst jewels stared in to pools of crimson as each young man's surprise was mirrored by the other. They could easily pass for siblings if not twins. However it was confirmed by both sets of parents in later discussion that neither boy was related. It is said that everyone in the world had their own twin somewhere. So it was safe to say they may have found theirs in eachother.**_

_**But Yugi was very different from Atemu. Although he had no artistic aptitude Yugi was very familiar to sports such as tennis, ping-pong, soccer and track. Currently he was on the college soccer team, the Domino Raiders. Yugi was shy, kind hearted and generous almost to a fault. And his intellect was nothing to be ashamed of either. He was one of the few people who could match Atemu in a debate or even simple conversation. For two years they secretly admired eachother. Ten months ago they let that secret out, and here they were. Sometimes Atemu wondered if it could be considered a form of narcassism to love someone so similar to himself. Did others see that in them too? He had posed this question to his mother once. She smiled, kissed his forehead and told him: **" Baby, don't you mind what other people say. Love is love."** So far their relationship had been steady never passing that intimate bar beyond a shared, passionate kiss. At least not yet.**_

_**" Atemu-boy, love is wonderful. But it can also become cumbersome if you let it." Mr. Pegasus advised. Atemu didn't really agree, but he would never admit that to his notoriously strict teacher. He honestly wondered at times if the man had a life outside of his music. He knew Pegasus was married. Once upon a time. His wife died of AIDS years ago and many say he drowned himself in work to lessen the pain. If anything like that were to happen to someone he loved he didn't know what he might do. He looked back at his teacher and tapped a finger against the wood of the piano.**_

_**" Time and place, yes?" An answer of diplomacy. Max Pegasus nodded.**_

_**" The Young Artist's competition is only a month away. If you really want to earn the admiration of one who loves you, win." There was a modicum of truth in that. Yugi knew about the competition and had promised to be there to cheer him on until his voice left. Yes, he did want to make his parents and Yugi proud. What better way than to win? " Watch this hand." Pegasus touched the keys with practiced expertise and let the melody flow, repairing itself where Atemu fumbled and completing the score with practiced perfection. " See how easy that is?" Atemu nodded. It really was easy. But...**_

_**" I um... I've been meaning to speak to you for awhile about something." Mr. Pegasus smiled calmly at his subdued student and tilted his head.**_

_**" Oh?" Atemu nodded. He took a deep breath then began.**_

_**" I know I haven't been committing to the piano as much as I should and...I think I know why. I do love to play, but the passion is lacking somewhat. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this anymore." His teacher smiled and shook his head slowly.**_

_**" Atemu-boy, many artists feel this way from time to time. Life gets in the way with responsibilities and necessities and then the artform can become just another obstacle on this list. An artist can then delevop a kind of block and get stuck in a rut of sorts. It's perfectly normal." Atemu shook his head.**_

_**" No I... I want to stop. I mean I barely made my midterms and Young Artist's winter preliminaries. I just..." Mr. Pegasus waited patiently for Atemu to find his words. " I want-I need to focus all of my attention on writing." Pegasus sighed heavily and shook his head in a frusterated manner. The boy had so much musical talent. To just let it go...**_

_**" But you have such an inate talent. Such a gift. You've won the Young Artist's competition four years in a row. What more validation do you need?" Atemu had no words. They both knew the descision had been made. " Well, should the piano's passion find you again...you know where I am."**_

_**" Yes. Thank you." After that he showed his music teacher out and waved by the door as he drove away. A small " Merow" made him turn around. A sandy colored cat with green eyes looked up at him and rubbed against his legs. Smiling softly he picked up the cat and stroked it affectionately as he held the furry animal in his arms. " Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"**_

_**" Meow."**_

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><p><em><strong>12:44 AM. He had been typing at his computer for five hours now. He sat at a desk in his room, which was in some respects what one would expect of an artist. The walls were dark blue. His bed was against the left wall neatly made with a silver comforter, black sheets and matching pillows. A desk and lamp sat on the side against the wall which housed one drawer. Inside was a notebook and pen, in case a dream might strike inspiration so he could quickly jot it down. Across the room was a case filled with movies. On top was a television. To the right was a large bookshelf filled with books, folders containing short stories Atemu had compiled, and various pictures of friends and family. One shelf was solely for his awards and achivements including his high school diploma, blue ribbons and four Young Artist's award first place trophies. The bottom shelf housed board games like checkers, sennet, a jigsaw puzzle and a glass chess board and matching glass pieces. And on the south wall was his computer and desk both of which he was currently hunched over typing rapidly. A half-eaten, half-forgotten sandwhich was sitting to the side. His reading glasses were back on his face as he typed rapidly every now and again looking above him. The wall was littered with sticky post-it notes filled with ideas, names and locations and details regarding his latest story.<strong>_

_' He always felt like half a person. Half a person with half a soul. Sometimes if he dreamed hard enough, he could bring the two halves together. But always every bitter morning he would wake up to cold reality and feelings of emptiness and loss. Dreaming he knew, could only last so long. He needed more than dreams. He longed for something real that he could feel with his entire being rather than fooling himself in to feeling or pretending to feel what wasn't there. For once he wanted something real.'_

_**Atemu sat back in his chair and read over the words he had typed so far. It was good, but he could do better. He saved his progress and then removed his glasses, tossing them carelessly on his desk to rub his tired eyes. Sitting too close to the computer again. Or he stared at it for too long. No, a combination of both. A soft knock caught his attention and he swiveled his chair around. " Come in." The door opened quietly and a beautiful woman peeked her head in. She had long black hair with red highlights and soulful brown eyes. Her tan slim body was covered in a white tank top and matching pajama bottoms, a grey cardigan on her shoulders. Atemu smiled warmly at her. Figures she would come in to check on him...and tell him to get to bed already. " Hi, Mom." She leaned against his bedroom door frame with a sigh and crossed her arms.**_

_**" Atemu, honey. It's so late. What are you doing still up?" She came in and sat on his bed, and peeked around his shoulder at the computer screen. He turned his chair in her way and smirked. No peeking. She smiled and chuckled quietly. " You and your work. You never let me see." She pouted.**_

_**" Not until it's done. I promise you can read it then." She nodded then stood up and pulled back the covers of his bed. She pat the matress twice and gave him a reprimanding look. After all it was a school night. Even if tomorrow was a friday and the beginning of the weekend. He still needed a decent night's sleep.**_

_**" Well every creative genius still needs a modicum of sleep. Bed. Now." Atemu nodded tiredly and turned the computer off for the night. He reached for the half-finished peanut butter jelly sandwhich and stood up.**_

_**" Okay, just let me take this downstairs." His mother shook her head and took the plate from him, then gently pushed him back down on to the mattress.**_

_**" No, that's okay. I'll take it."**_

_**" Thanks." She pulled the covers over his body then leaned down and kissed his forhead. Tucking him in and topping it off with a kiss made him feel like such a little kid. But the warm feeling spreading over him was a welcome one. She walked over to the door then placed her hand on the switch and turned the lights off. " Goodnight, Mom." She smiled lovingly at her son, her precious boy and blew him a kiss.**_

_**" Goodnight, sweetheart." Then his room was engulfed in welcoming darkness as she closed the door. Atemu closed his eyes and within minutes he was taken away to that strange place where dreams exist.**_

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><p><strong><em>All done! Next chapter we'll have some puzzleshipping fluff. Yugi comes in to the story! Please R&amp;R and have a nice day!<em>**


	3. Life And Death

_**Hello! So how was everyone's new year? My Mama's birthday is on new years. Congratulate her she's half a century now! ( She threw a pillow at me when I said that to her. Lol.) So here's the next chapter of ' To Save Myself.' Disclaimer: I don't own it. Enjoy!**_

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><p><strong><em>Life And Death<em>**

**_Two weeks had passed since he had stopped playing the piano with Mr. Pegasus. In many regards he felt guilty. Oh, he didn't give it up completely. He still played at least four times a week. The vain streak within himself would not allow his talents to become less than it was or rusted. Atemu knew he would go back to the piano wholeheartedly someday. And when he did he still wanted to be the best. But for now it was his writing which had taken priority. His story was evolving rapidly. Between classes and during breaks, with every spare moment in fact he did nothing but write. Today was no different. He sat on the ledge of a beautifully carved marble fountain on the campus grounds. The weather was wonderful: No humidity, low winds and the sun shining at sixty degrees today. He wrote rapidly in the notebook balanced on his lap, his reading glasses folded on to the collar of his shirt just in case. A small tap on his head disrupted his winding trail of thought and he looked up then smiled._**

**_Yugi smiled back then slid off his black backpack and sat next to Atemu on the fountain's ledge. " Hey you. You've been going at it since third bell." There was wonder and just a little annoyance there. Atemu leaned in and captured his love's lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. So soft. He was left powerless to the love that swelled in him every time Yugi was around. When oxegen became a necessity they broke apart and stared at eachother, their breaths a bit more labored than before. He took Yugi's hand in his and held on gently._**

**_" I know, love. I don't mean to ignore you but-" Yugi put a finger to his lips and gave him a silencing look. Atemu smiled then kissed Yugi's finger and the younger boy smiled back._**

**_" I know. You're in a very creative mood right now. And this story means so much to you. You've put so much of yourself in to this." Yugi lowered his hand from Atemu's lips then leaned forward and whispered in his ear. " Just don't forget about the people who exist outside of your head." Atemu laughed with his boyfriend then set his notebook and pen down so he could wrap his arms around his lover._**

**_" You're always in my head, Yugi." Yugi giggled then detached himself from Atemu. _**

**_" So you won't protest if I come by your house for dinner tonight? After the game?"_**

**_" As long as you promise to be dessert." Atemu said, giving him a sultry look. Yugi laughed and lightly shoved his boyfriend in the shoulder. He could be such a terrible flirt sometimes. Yugi stood up then grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He checked the time on his wristwatch then looked back at the other boy. " Come on. Fourth bell is almost over. We don't wanna be late. Again." Atemu sighed in a resigned fashion then looked back at his notebook. He fingered the edges of the page then made to turn it when..._**

**_" Ow!" He brought his finger to his mouth and lightly sucked on the digit faintly tasting his own coppery blood. Yugi's face filled at once with concern._**

**_" You okay?" Atemu nodded and lightly flexed his hand._**

**_" Yeah. Paper cut." Yugi smiled sympathetically and kissed him on the cheek. Now he felt better._**

**_" Come on." At that moment the wind picked up, sending a flyer fluttering to Atemu where it was plastered to his right leg by the wind. He peeled it from his body and stared. It was a missing person's flyer. A pretty smiling girl was staring back at him photographed in black and white. The face was as familiar as the name. Miho Kuji. Atemu had met her a few times. She went to their university and was an art/music major. She played the violin, and she played exceptionally well. They had met and shared a few friendly conversations together, but not enough that he could really say she was a friend of his. An aquaintance more like. What he did know was that Miho was a friendly, bright, talented girl. And she had been missing for a month now. Atemu gathered the rest of his things then walked over to the post-board on the grounds, Yugi trailing behind him. He tacked the picture back in it's proper place, his eyes never leaving the photo even as his boyfriend squeezed his arm sympathetically._**

**_" I hope they find her."_**

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><p><strong><em>Miles away a young girl sceamed as the air rushed past her and the water slammed up to greet her in it's cold embrace. She couldn't swim anymore. She couldn't do alot of things anymore. Days of such screaming had left her voice hoarse and her body was so wracked with pain she was powerless to fight as the water began sapping her of what little strength she had left and the girl disappeared all too soon underneath the deep blue waves of Domino harbor.<em>**

**_" Rest in peace... Miho."_**

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><p><strong><em>The cameras flashed brightly as a small group of people fought their way through a throng of television cameras and microphones as the reporters fired question after merciless question. " Mr. Kuji, what do you think you'll find in there?"<br>_**

**_" Mr. Kuji, why do you think the killer targeted your daughter?"_**

**_" Mrs. Kuji, do you know who the killer might be?"_**

**_" Mr. and Mrs. Kuji! A comment please!"_**

**_" Officer! Do you think the killer will be found?" One of the police officers escorting the grieving couple to the building turned around and looked back at the reporter with unbridled disgust and indignation._**

**_" One girl is dead and you already label this nut a serial killer? You people astound me." Though in the back of his mind the officer knew why this death was being so sensationalized. Domino city was a quaint little patch of land, quiet. Crime rates in the city were low. Hell, a cat stuck in a tree was big news around these parts. So it was understandable that a murder-and of a young girl no less, had shaken up this town. And the press were hungry-no starving even for a juicy story like this one. Understandable but not excusable. Inside it was even uglier. The officers led the parents through a set of double doors and then down a desolate hallway where every step echoed condemingly on the tile floor. The hall ended and another set of door opened to every parent's worst ordeal. The mourgue. The wall was lined with row upon row of small metal doors each one housing a dead body. One of them might be Miho's. It was up to her parents to identify her._**

**_The guard unlocked the last door on the second row then slid the table out...and pulled back a white sheet. Mrs. Kuji screamed as he husband gripped her body preventing her form collapsing, neither one able to speak or stop their combined flow of tears. It was indeed their daughter. And she was dead. In another part of the building a court liason sat at a desk in his office typing a new file for the case records. Thirteen years in the buisness and never before had he heard of anything like this. The coroner's voice spoke to him through the earpiece as he typed out the grisly findings of the poor victim. _**_' Miho Kuji, nineteen year old white female. The autopsy began at 8:30 am on august 27th, 2011. Amputation of individual digits. Full metacarpal amputation aproximately two weeks later. Ragged cuts indicate leathal levels of amphedimine inducing a state of forced alertness. Suggesting the killer wanted the victim fully conscious during each limb removal. Cause of eventual death was drowning. With combined limb removal and signs of malnutrition the victim was unable to move in the water and predictably did not survive. The killer's intention made all the more apparent as the condition was as carefully planned as the eventual body disposal.'** With a shaky sigh the liason stopped the tape recording and sat back in his chair re-reading what he had typed. The poor girl had been tourtured for a month. Forced awake to feel every cut, beating and dismemberment for a month. **_

_**" Jesus Christ."**_

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><p><em><strong>The stadium was packed, the chatting crowd dressed in light coats and jackets to fend off the early fall's light chill. It was the biggest game of the season in the college. The Domino Raiders versus the Weston Dolphins. Weston and Domino had been competitive rivals practically since Jesus was a baby. This year Weston won the football game, Domino won baseball. Weston won basketball, Domino won hockey. Now it was soccer's turn. If they won this year then Domino would be one above their rival. The digital score board read Raiders: 0. Dolphins: 0. Above on the message board a large white cross appeared. The speakers blared to life and the sports announcer grabbed everyone's attention. " As you all know, Miho Kuji's body was discovered today. If we can... I'd like us all to take a moment of silence." Every student went quiet and bowed their heads in silent prayer. Atemu wasn't a very religious person. Still he prayed to whomever was listening that Miho was somewhere better now. After a moment the announcer brought everyone back to the present game, his enthusiasm on full throttle. " Now let's win this one for Miho Kuji!" The crowd exploded in cheers as the band began playing the school song.<strong>_

_**The soccer teams ran out on to the field and the cheers got louder. Blue t-shirts and matching shorts lined on the sides with white. The word ' Raiders' was printed in bold white letters on the front. The player name and number on the back. Tonight they were all dressed the same against the cold of fall. Black knee-high socks with their cleats, and white long sleeved shirts under their team uniforms. Atemu scanned the players until he found a familiar shock of hair and a shirt who's back read ' Mutou. 07.' " Yeah! Yugi!" Yugi turned around and easily found his handsome boyfriend in the crowd. He smiled brightly and waved, then jogged over to his team mates. The challenging team, the Dolphins were dressed very much like the Raiders. Only their uniforms were green and white . The players took their places on the field as the referee held the black and white ball in his hand in the center of the field. The ball was tossed up... The horns blared... and the game began.**_

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><p><em><strong>All done! So Yugi and Atemu got to have some lovey-dovey time. Enjoy this peace because next chapter everything goes to hell and back! MUAHAHAHAHAAAA! Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!<strong>_


	4. Gone

_**Hello! So sorry for not updating sooner. Work is murder. And so is this story! Hope you enjoy the chapter and reviews are always appreciated! Disclaimer: You know I don't own it. **_

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><p><em><strong>Gone<strong>_

_**The streets were lined for blocks. Banners of silver and blue lined the streets as the town cheered and celebrated. The Raiders had won the game. Atemu walked through the crowds, dodging the enthusiasts carrying banners and beer bottles hand in drunken hand. Beside him walked two of his closest friends: A boy his age with jet black hair pulled back in to a ponytail and green eyes. His name was Duke Devlin, owner of one of the most popular gameing stores in the area. With the boys was Duke's girlfriend, Vivian Wong. A pretty brunette with strong asian features and a sweet smile to her cherry lips. Vivian and Duke chattered on excitedly about the game debating re-plays and the player's stratagies. Atemu was only half-listening as his eyes scaned over the sea of faces before him, searching for a certain someone. "...And all I'm saying is I think that guy copped that foul-ball on purpose. Right Atemu?" Vivian's question caught a part of his attention and he turned back to her and blinked in confusion.**_

_**" Huh?" Duke smirked knowingly and chuckled at him.**_

_**" He's not listening, Viv. He's looking for his MVP, eh Atemu?" Duke asked, a sly look on his face that incinuated much.**_

_**" Shut up." The insult was half hearted and unconvincing due in large part to the smile on his lips. It was hard to fight back a smile when Yugi was involved. Even indirectly. But perhaps that was just what love had done to him. As far as Atemu was concerned that was okay. Speaking of whom, Atemu's smile grew wider as he spotted a familiar shock of hair and shining amethyst eyes. Yugi was a few yards ahead of them, chatting happily with a few of his team mates, all of them wearing blue and white jackets. The team name printed boldly on the back of the jacket, and below it a white sword and torch crossed. " Yugi!" The boy had not heard him. How could he with all of this noise?**_

_**He was going to have to run, wasn't he? With a resigned sigh Atemu picked up the pace and began jogging away. " Yo, Man! What's goi'n on?" Duke called. Atemu looked back.**_

_**" I'm going to catch up to Yugi! I'll meet you guys at the movie theater later!" Only a block away. The duo nodded, both with worried faces. It was not a good idea to seperate in a crowd this big. But Yugi was just ahead...so there was nothing to worry about. Right? Atemu flashed his friends one last smile... Then disappeared in to the crowd.**_

_**Time passed.**_

_**When the trio of friends had left the game it was around ten o'clock. Now it was half-past midnight. Duke and Vivian stood dutifully at the theater entrance. Alone. The neighborhood was empty now. Quiet. Only the celebration's residue of beer bottles, streamers and discarded signs gave evidence to the life present only hours ago. Vivian hugged her jacket closer to herself to ward off the fall chill as Duke paced back and fourth impatiently, holding his cell phone to his ear. A messaging service was his only companion on the other side of the line. " Damn it! This is the sixth time I tried to call!"**_

_**" Maybe Atemu and Yugi got caught up in something. Like talking, or maybe they got invited to a party." Duke shook his head.**_

_**" No. Atemu wouldn't have forgotten to call us." They looked in to eachother's eyes and through the contact their shared feelings were exposed to the other. They were scared. Vivian let out a heavy sigh to dispel a fraction of her nervous energy and bit her lip. **_

_**" Try calling Yugi. Maybe Atemu's cell battery's down." To Duke it sounded like they were both grasping for straws now, as one might say. But it was possible. Still as he began dialing the other number he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He had felt it the moment their friend had left them and stayed with Duke ever since. **' He'd better be with Yugi. Damn it- I shouldn't have letg him go!'** He finished punching the numbers in furiously then held the reciever to his ear. A phone's shrill ringing sounded both from his ears and from somewhere nearby. Vivian and Duke took off at once following the sound. Yugi spotted them instantly and jogged to catch up, just from around the corner of the building.**_

_**" Hey guys, where's Atemu?" A deep coldness seeped in to Duke's very bones, and it had nothing to do with the weather.**_

_**" He's not with you?" Worry in all of their eyes now.**_

_**" No. I thought he was with you." Vivian wrung her hands together in fear.**_

_**" He saw you in the crowd. That's why he's not with us. He ran after you to get you...just after the game. That was a couple of hours ago." Yugi's eyes widened in fear for his love and he looked around the area.**_

_**" His car! Where did he park?"**_

_**" Um...uhhh..." Vivian's face became stressed with worry as she struggled to remember. " It's that place on Gentara Road...you know, the one?" Yugi shook his head in confusion and frusteration.**_

_**" No I don't know the one!" Yugi shouted. Yugi was a soft spoken person by nature. He never rose his voice. A testement to how scared he truly was. Duke thought hard. Where...where...! Then the memory came back in a flash and he guestured to the street excitedly Maybe he was there!**_

_**" I know! It was at that art gallery on Gentara Road! The one where the fence is covred in ivy!" And with that Yugi shot off in to the night, Duke and Vivian hot on his heels as he ran. All of them desperate to find their missing friend. Yugi's heart hammered in his chest with every beat and his body shook with every step pounded in to the pavement. Three blocks later the trio found the gallery in question and came face to metal face with Atemu's dark blue mustang convertiable. The driver however was no where in sight. But what concerned them all the most was what was in the car. Resting peacefully on the dashboard was a single blue carnation flower, Atemu's cell phone lying right by it's side.**_

_**Time passed. **_

_**News of the disappearance of Atemu Sennen had spread like wildfire. The media was already a buzz with speculations. Straight A student, four time winner of the Young Artist's competition, son of a prominent family and all around good guy Atemu Sennen had vanished without a trace. Similarities to Miho Kuji's disappearance and death were alreading being played out and many were suspecting Atemu's case was destined to be the same. If there was any truth in that then the police might as well prepare another family for a loss and the coroner for another body to his slab. And he had only been missing for ten hours now. Neighbors drove up and down the streets looking for the young man. College kids in school who knew him looked up the news on their computers with disbelief, even now debating what could have happened to him. Duke, Vivian and Yugi had already spoken to the police, naming the place and time they had last seen Atemu Sennen.**_

_**The Sennen house was different. Though the sun was out dark shadows loomed around the home, fenced off with bright yellow tape with bold black letters printed over it: POLICE LINE! DO NOT CROSS! At least three squad cars parked themselves by the house, red and blue lights strobing the area. Inside was no better. A somber man sat in a red armchair, his tanned face lined with age and anxietly. His coal black hair was combed back smoothly, with the smallest hints of grey evident at the temples and in his nicely trimmed beard. This man was Aknamkanon " Aknam" Sennen. Atemu's father. Standing in front of him was A man with dark brown eyes and brown hair, dressed in a tan trench coat and white button-down shirt and black jeans. A badge hung on a chain around his neck, the name tag reading: Tristain Taylor. Detective Taylor had seen alot of bad cases like this. Seriously. This was the nineth disappearance he'd had to deal with in the past two years. Always the same. **_

_**A good school kid abducted from an innocuous place, never to be seen again. Alive. **' __Please, let this time be different.'** He sat down across from the father and looked at him with sympathy. " Mr. Sennen. Can you tell us anything about your son that might help us?" Aknam rubbed a hand over his face and stared back with tired mahogany eyes and cleared his throat.**_

_**" My...My son...he plays the piano. He's always been a good student in school. He's never been in trouble, never had any enemies... Everyone loves him." He smiled, and a tear fell down his face. The detective placed a caring hand on the man's shoulder as he struggled to collect himself. " He...he like writing. Atemu is a brilliant writer." He guestured to the dining room where a black laptop rested on the surface. Atemu had been working on his story again before he left. " That's his computer."**_

_**" May we take this? I might be able to gather some useful information from this if we analyze it." Especically if he kept a diary on it. Maybe he saw the kidnapper, or maybe even knew him. Any lead was a good one now. Especially in the first fourty-eight hours of a missing perrson's case. Aknam nodded and gripped his hands tightly together.**_

_**" Of course. Anything you need. Just...please. Help me find my son." Upstairs two women stood together in Atemu's room. Detective Taylor's partner, a brunette with sea blue eyes held a notepad as she patiently questioned Atemu's mother, who held the family cat in her arms seeking comfort. The detective gazed at her with sympathy and asked her questions gently.**_

_**" Mrs. sennen, does Atemu go out on his own alot?" The mother spoke with a forced calm, staying strong as she stared at the young woman.**_

_**" Who are you again?" She lowered her pen and offered her a small smile.**_

_**" Anzu Mazaki." Mrs. Sennen nodded at the other woman then eyed her seriously, with all of the wight of the world in her eyes. Atemu would never leave without saying good-bye. He wouldn't go away on a whim. Her son was not that kind of man. This woman didn't know her son. How could she know?**_

_**" Anzu...do you have any children?" Anzu let her smile fall and a gentle breath escape her then shook her head. No, she had no children. So she could only imagine what pain this woman felt. She had seen grief, but prayed she would never truly know what it was-or could be to lose your child. Kira Sennen sat down on the bed and held the sandy cat clser to herself. " How many times do they leave us? For school, for a date, for practice or shopping or even just to get the mail. We never..." She sniffled and wiped a tear from her face, but didn't stop the others from coming. " We never really care to think too much about when we saw them last, or what we said last. Because we know they'll come back. Our children always come back to us in the end. And we can have more moments to..." She gasped and was barely able to contain a sob. " To say we love them. To hold them. Hear their voice. To watch them grow. They always come back." She couldn't fight her tears anymore. She cried hard as the sobs escaped her. Anzu put down her paper and gatherd the shaking woman in her arms as the cat leapt down and watched with knowing eyes, watching his mistress suffer and wishing for his master.**_

_**" My son always comes back. My son never doesen't come back!"**_

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><p><em><strong>It was dark. How long had he been here? His head felt so foggy, his eyes heavy. A stabbing pain behind his eyes. He slowly engouraged his eyes to open and he was met with darkness. A dimly lit room. He could see stone..no, bricks. It was warm in here, dim flickering lights on the walls. A cracking sound. There must be a fireplace nearby. He could see an overhanging light above him, turned off at the moment. Where was he? <strong>' Last I remember...I was at the game. Yugi's team won. Duke and Vivian. We...walked down the street. I saw Yugi in the crowd. I ran after him and then... And then... Pain.'** Yes, he remembered the pain in his body. Not bad, but more like a prick. Like someone had stabbed him with a sharp pencul in the arm. His arm! He tried to sit up only to find it impossible. He was tied down to what he realized was a gurney of some kind, his arms pressed top his sides as he was held down by tight leather straps. He could move his hands and his head.**_

_**He focused his sight and looked at himself. Hid legs had been tied down too. His mouth was gagged with what tasted like cloth, not rope or more leather. Why was he here? What was going to happen to him? His breathing increased as his heart began hammering hin his chest. The lights blasted to life and Atemu was blinded. He shut his eyes tightly and grunted as the footsteps came closer to him. It was right next to him now. He forced his eyes open and glared at the one holding him. It was a man, the build of this person told him as much. He wore a black hoodie over his body and black slacks on his legs. A black fadora hat rested on his head...and a strange red cloth mask covered his face. What?**_

_**The man wore white surgical goves on his hands, which he used to force the gag off of his mouth just long enough to put something in his mouth. He could tase the residue. It was a drug. Atemu angrily spat the drug out of his mouth. He was backhanded hard for his effort, and pain exploded in his head. Dazed from the pain he couldn't stop the pill this time and the gag was replaced.**_

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><p><em><strong>Done! Poor them. Well it gets harder from here. Next time: Blood, tourture, police harassment, and someone is found. But is it Atemu? Dun, dun, duuuun!<strong>_

_**Please R&R and have a nice day!**_


	5. Split Apart

Hello! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been working on another story and I got sidetracked. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it. WARNING: GRAPHIC TOURTURE HAEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Enjoy!

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><p><em><strong>Split Apart<strong>_

_**What was going to happen to him? Atemu had heard that when one is close to death his life may flash before his eyes. As the red masked man began rummaging through things away from his view he began thinking back to his life. Why was this being done to him? Hadn't he always been a good person? What could he have done wrong to deserve being taken away to be used for God knows what? A screech. His captor was moving something close to him. It sounded like metal. He never got to tell Yugi how proud he was of him. He never got to hold him after the game. He never had the chance to tell his mother he loved her before he left, or hug his father. He had been in too much of a hurry to bother. Did they know how much he loved them all? His hand came in contact with what he realized was a metal table as it was pushed under his right hand. He struggled against his restraints, grunting through the cloth in his mouth. His captor ignored him. Suddenly his arm felt cool. There was cold air blowing on his arm. Dread filling his chest like water he strained his neck and looked to the source of the cold...and began struggling harder. The red man was carefully lifting a large, flat slab of dry ice, his hands protected by gloves. And he was coming towards Atemu.**_

_**The man forced Atemu's hand up, then slid the ice under his palm. The biting cold burned and stung and he could feel his skin sticking uncomfortably against the ice. The red man forced Atemu's palm to press against the ice as he added another slab to the top. He pressed the ice in to the skin and Atemu cried out in pain as the cold both burned and numbed his hand at the same time. He imagined he could already feel his very veins freezing over. The red man picked up a black metal tool of some kind-Atemu was too distracted with the pain to tell what, and he put one end under the table then the other on the top of his iced hand. Then he placed a screw in the socket and began turning a lever around. It was a compressor. The ice was forced to press as hard as it could in to his hand, and as the screw turned and the ice closed in Atemu screamed.**_

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><p><em><strong>The office was abuzz with activity as the phones rang, files were brought forward and members of the forensics team poured over what might have been found at the Sennen house. Tristian sat at his desk in the corner of the room, observing it all with tired eyes. The killer had caught another victim and the town was looking for answers. So far the killer's " Taste" had become his calling-card: Young, talented kids from well-to-do families. And if Atemu was eventually found he feared it would be in the same manner the others had been. Atemu was actually one of three kids this psychopath had caught. The first was a boy named Noah Kaiba. Some years ago the boy had been kidnapped in broad daylight from the park, no witnesses. No forewarning. A month later the boy had been found hanging on a tree by the neck, his body disfigured and his limbs severely damaged. Both hands had been cut off completely and his left leg had been missing. And the youngster's eyes had been gouged out, a bloody white cloth concealing them from view. He had been well respected in life, a talented cello player and from what he had heard... a very gifted young man when it came to electronics. There wasn't a computer or program he hadn't met that disagreed with him. He had so much promise. He died at fourteen years old. Last he heard the family head Gozoboro Kaiba had adopted two boys, brothers. And the oldest was head of the company now.<strong>_

_**Miho had been the second. She was a beautiful young girl with a talent for playing the violin and was well-liked and was well recieved by teachers as her studies showed a near-perfect grade average. She had been found only weeks ago in Domino harbor with her fingers cut off and her right leg severed from her body. She was nineteen years old. Had she lived she could have grown up to be an elite violinist, or a very successful doctor. Her parents had said she had just begun taking doctoral courses at college. It was a shame to see such a promising young life put to rest so cruelly. The similaties of the bodie's conditions when they were found alerted Tristan to the fact that they may be dealing with the same killer. And now it seemed it was Atemu's turn.**_

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><p><em><strong>He didn't know how long it had been. It couldn't have been for naught but a few hours. To Atemu the pain dragging through his senses dulling his perception...time had no real meaning. Trapped in a dark room with only a lit fireplace as his light he had no way of knowing whether it was night or day. The time seemed eternal to him. His hand was beyond burning. It had numbed out somewhat...but the discomfort of the cold was unbearable. The door to his room opened and the footstepps began. Soon he was facing the red man, his fadora hat casting shadows over his cloth masked face. The overhead light was turned on again and Atemu groaned as the light stung his eyes. He heard a metal squesk and he looked at the ice trapping him. The man had begun loosening the screw and the pain flared up unbearably as the pressure was slowly relieved. Atemu screamed and cried out as the device came off and the ice's cold hold weakened. With almost taunting slowness the man began slowly lifting the ice away from his hand, and Atemu watched in horror as the ice was peeled back, taking a nice helping of his skin with it, blackened with freezer burn and bloody as his hand was flayed by the ice. Yet the blood did not flow continuously. It painted his tarnished skin. Atemu Screamed as his flesh was ripped away and his hand was exposed to the air. It was almost worse than the ice itself had been. But then the worst began. His heart sped up in pace greatly as the masked man took up a shining blade in his hand.<strong>_

_**It was crafted with red glass and shimmered sinisterly in the light. The blade was brought down slowly...and the red man slowly began cutting off Atemu's middle finger. He screamed through his cloth and his body arched as much as his confines allowed as his captor slowly cut the finger down it's length...then pressed down hard and severed the digit completely. The digit fell uselessly against the table and dripped blood slowly. Then the blade touched his palm... and slowly dragged up his palm to his wrist. More blood. If there was an angel there it came too late to save his hand, but just in time to allow Atemu to pass out from the pain and grant him a moment's reprieve. He succumbed to the darkness and knew no more pain. He saw his mother, his father, his friends and his love all waiting for him. Reaching out to him and he wished with all of his heart he could go to them. But then in his dreams somethng happened he did not expect. He heard a scream and turned around.**_

_**It was him, staring at himself. A mirror? Atemu and Atemu approached eachother slowly...then their right hand came up, blood leaking everywhere...and ruined skin met ruined skin. He looked up at the same time as the other and realized no mirror could have given him/them this leve of interaction. Atemu began to wonder if he was dying. And if so...was he a spirit touching his own corpse? If that was the case then he would accept death. He welcomed it. He would miss those he left behind but he knew he would see them again someday. Perhaps this sense of knowing came with death. Maybe he had known all along he was going to die here in this dark place. But then if he was really so at peace with this notion, then why did his reflection look so afraid?**_

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><p><em><strong>It had been eight days since Atemu Sennen had gone missing. Rangers and local townspeople had trekked the woods, led by bloodhounds FBI trained. Their barking could be heard through the forest in to town. Flyers depicting his picture and describing when he was last seen were scattered like snow all around Domino. In the office Detective Taylor and his partner Detective Mazaki sat across form eachother at the desk, pouring over files filled with Atemu's medical history, testimonies of friends and family and statements from his college professors. Sadly it wasn't much to go on, considering most of the information given to them the duo already know. " Tristian." The detective looked up from the file and brown met blue as Anzu sat down across from her partner. " Do you think we'll find him alive?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry. Tristian sighed and rubbed his eyes.<strong>_

_**" I pray we find all of our cases alive. And when we don't...if we don't...I pray they are at peace wherever they may be now." Unbeknownst to them Atemu was far from being at peace. Currently he was screaming again. He seemed to be doing alot of that lately. The red man never spoke to him, never gave him reprieve from his pain. The red blade worked slowly on him. Atemu was certain by now his keeper intended to take his leg. Every few hours he would cut his right leg- just above the knee. He elongated the cut until it was all the way around his leg...and every cut got subtlely deeper. And when it tried to heal that only encouraged the red man to cut harder. He could have sworn he felt the blade scrape his bones. The blood would only be cleaned away from his leg, just so the red man could keep track of where to cut. The room was filled with the coppery scent, so strong now it made Atemu feel sick. Even worse to feel the spilled blood left unchecked coagulating against his skin. His hand was gone now, completely nonexistent from the wrist down. A white cloth had been tied crudely to the appendage. **_

_**Every time he awoke the blue pill was forced in to his mouth and he was forced to stay awake until the effects of the drug or the bloodloss let his mind retreat to dreams again. **__**His captor would remove the gag but once every day ( He assumed) to let water pass by his lips and hoarse throat. And he had to force-feed Atemu a ham and cheese sandwich. Atemu wanted no pity from this thing. Still his wants did not signify with the red man and he was forced the meager nutrition. Atemu felt like he was being split in two and four and ten and then a thousand ways as his emotions were constantly taxed by the pain. He wanted to die. He wanted to live to see the bastard's throat cut wide open. He wanted it to end. One way or another, whether by his own death or the red man's he would see it end. But how long would he be forced to survive until then? **' How can I run when I can barely breathe anymore?'_

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><p><em><strong>It was dusty. The air was cool and calm. He knew he was outside. The lids of his eyes were assaulted as bright lights flashed in his face. He would have looked up...but he was too tired. Maybe he was dead. If he opened his eyes would he see heaven? Did that place exist? Voices around him...who were they? Someone screamed. Someone yelled. 911...who said to call 911? Would they bother? If he was dead now then why did he need to go to the hospital? Then he deamed. His dreams held a very prominent visitor as of late. It was him...but was it him? Staring at his own tourtured and bloodied body with such acceptance. Who could ever accept death? And why? Okay...maybe he had done something to warrant his death. But he didn't want to die! A dim beep...and another...and another. A heart monitor? Was that death's metaphorical way of saying he was dying? No...the beeping was getting louder and he was getting dimmer. Or, his reflection was. Slowly his eyes opened. Bright lights overhead. People dressed in blue.<strong>_

_**Masks covered their faces...blue masks. Eyes peered down at him in a way he couldn't begin to identify. Voices flaoted in and out of his ears as his breathing became louder to his own ears and his eyes began to take in everything...including the blood splattered on the blue robes of a man hovering over him. " Blood pressure is increasing. Heart rate is becoming erratic. Oh, fuck he's awake."**_

_**" For goodness sake!"**_

_**" Keep his oxegen going!"**_

_**" Increasing his thiopental." His body began to shake and he tried to move.**_

_**" Hold him still! The artery hasn't been closed yet!" Firm hands bathed with blue forcing him down as the lights glared in to his eyes. The world misted and fogged over. Then he succumbed to dreaming and the mirror was back. He stared at himself and again he reached up...they reached up and bloody hand touched bloody hand. For the first time he spoke to his reflection. **_

_**" Am I dying?" Surprisingly the reflection's lips didn't move when he asked. Weren't reflections supposed to mimic you? No...not this one. This reflection spoke back.**_

_**" I think I might be."**_

_**" You?"**_

_**" You."**_

_**" Who are you?"**_

_**" Who are you?"**_

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><p><em><strong>All done! Weird chapter, right? I promise it'll make sense later. Next chapter Atemu wakes up and is reuntited with his family...sort of. And then havoc begins! pleaseR&amp;R and have a nice day!<strong>_


	6. Taken By Trauma?

_**Hi! I'm back with a new chapter of ' To Save Myself'. Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

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><p><em><strong>Taken By Trauma?<strong>_

_**The beeping sound was back. His dark sanctuary brightened little by little as his senses reawakened one by one. What happened? Pain. He remembered that. And the dirt road...why had he been outside again...? He fell unconscious...and someone screamed for 911. Bright lights, and that same beeping sound. Had he been dying? According to his reflection he might have been. People in blue surrounding him as his reflection left him... Blood-and the high pitched sound, people shouting hands holding him down, a knife in his line of sight-blood all over! His eyes shot open and his world came in to focus. He looked around himself his eyes darting everywhere trying to comprehend what he was seeing. The walls were white, and the room was warm. Stiff, white sheets covered by a soft blue blanket was draped over his body, his head resting on a pillow propped generously. No, the bed was elevated somehow. Oxegen wafted to his nostrils conducted by some kind of tube stretching across his face. And that beeping sound ( Which had become quite erratic in his nervous state) was a heart monitor, resting just beside his bed. He turned his head and a plump kindly looking woman met his eyes.**_

_**She seemed just as startled as him at first, then her eyes became more...softer? Sympathetic. Pitying...? " Well. Hey there, handsome. No one expected to see those stunning eyes for awhile." He took in her appearance slowly, noting her light green scrubs and white coat. Then it all clicked in to place.**_

_**" I'm...in a hospital?" She smiled and patted his shoulder gently. He didn't feel all that comforted. **_

_**" You're safe now." So he was in a hospital. That would explain him hearing that damn annoying monitor earlier. And those blue people must have been doctors. And that would mean he woke up while they were... What were they doing? Why was there so much blood? Why did they hold him down? His heart rate picked up again and the monitor told on him again.**_

_**" What happened?" It came out as a demand but his voice shook with the fear he was unable to completely hide. The nurse took her hand from his shoulder and gave him another sorry look. Would she stop doing that! **_

_**" I'll-I'll just go get the doctor for you." She bustled her way out of the room and he slowly sat up. He looked down at himself and at once felt cold with dread. He was wearing a blue hospital shirt, and he could feel the pants on underneath the blankets. But what he saw was unnatural. On the left side of his body the outline of his leg could be seen perfectly. And his left hand was resting on the blanket. On the right side there was a very prominent dip in the formation where his right leg should be...just below the knee. And his right hand? He slowly bought up his hand...and felt his stomach turn as his body shook with fear. His right hand was gone. In place was a stump wrapped with white gauze and bandage stained red at the end. **_

_**" No...No. No." He shook his head. He refused to believe it. His hand was right there just a minute ago wasn't it-! His leg was just there! But if that was true then why was his sight proving to him-his left hand touching the bandages proving to him he didn't have them anyomore? He wanted to scream. He should scream. But his voice left him. He was simply unable to. The door opened and his head snapped to the side as three people hurried in to the room. A man in a white coat, black hair and glasses looked at him steadily. That must be the doctor. Two others were dressed in blue scrubs. A woman with red and black hair. And a man with black hair and crimson eyes. Man and woman stood on either side of him. Kira Sennen had tears running down her face. Aknam was somber, taking in the sight of his son. Still he mustered a smile and looked down at him.**_

_**" Hey there, Champ." Aknam said. He didn't say anything. Kira smiled with her husband and stepped closer to him.**_

_**" We'll have you home in a few days, Sweetheart." A blink. The doctors wanted to take him home? Sweetheart? Why did she call him that? He blinked in confusion, trying to understand what was happening. Why was she acting like she was so familiar to him? What did she mean she'd have him home?**_

_**" Home?" Kira nodded and ran a hand through his wild hair and smiled. He leaned away from her. He didn't like being touched like that. Who did she think she was?**_

_**" Yes, home. We can just put this whole thing behind us, Atemu." Enough. What were these people talking about! Atemu? His eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed as he tried to control the storming emotions in himself.**_

_**" Who...is Atemu?" He asked. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on all of the sound in the room. Aknam worked his mouth yet no sound came out. His breth became shorter with settling fear as his fist clenched the blanket. " Who are you?" No one moved. No one spoke. The anger and fear that had been lurking beneath the surface welled up inside of him and his voice became unsteady again as he leaned as far away as the bed would allow from the strangers. " Who are you?" Kira placed a hand over her mouth and waked away, bracing herself with her hand gripping the end of the bed's metal rail.**_

_**" Oh, my god!" She gasped. This couldn't be happening! Her son... The doctor came over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as the tears came harder and faster. Aknam looked at his son with worry and tried to put his hand on Atemu's shoulder. The boy jerked away and shook his head feverently.**_

_**" Don't touch me. Don't fucking touch me. Don't touch me. I'm Yami. Yami." His voice was little more than a whisper, each word gasped out as if it hurt to even speak. What happened to Atemu?**_

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><p><em><strong>" I don't understand! What has happened to our son?" Honey eyes looked over wire-rimmed glasses at the worried father. A hand running through golden locks and the man folded his hands on the desk watching the couple on the other side calmly. The name plate read on the desk Dr. Joseph Wheeler. The hospital had called him from home to have him come down and discuss what might be one of the most serious cases he had ever heard of in his profession. The police had been by earlier today and he was familiar with Atemu Sennen's case. In fact he had been working with the authorities for days as a profiler. Trying to find a mental link to lead them to the man responsible for the double-nearly triple murders. To the relief of everyone around Atemu Sennen had been found alive. To everyone's confusion the boy seemed to have suffered severe memory-loss.<strong>_

_**The chief of staff had called him in half an hour ago and he met with the boy's parents. He had asked them to describe his behavior. It sounded serious. He had rejected their comforting advancements. And he didn't know their faces...or their names. Even his own name was lost to him. Replaced with a name that was seemingly unfamiliar to everyone but himself. " Look, Mr. Sennen. Ya need to jus' calm down and look at what we got to work with." The psychaiatrist's voice was laced with a heavy brooklyn accent. " From what I know, your son has been tourtured for nine days. Brutalized for nine days. Hell the right half of his body's been hacked up." Kira sniffled and held the hankercheif to her eyes. " I think we're looki'n at a survival mechanism that's been lodged in him."**_

_**" Survival mechanism? What are you talking about? He barely survived." Kira cried. Joseph nodded and leaned back in his chair.**_

_**" True. But in my expirience this is considered somewhat normal." Aknam opened his mouth ready to protest. Dr. Wheeler held up a finger and silenced him. " Let me finish." Silence. Expectancy. " Now, it has been shown that when the mind is in a state of stress, or unable to cope with harsh conditions it can essentially...shut out the source. In other words, those who have expirienced trauma can block out the event. A mind's way of defending itself. Now from what we know about your son...can you blame him? His limbs are missing. And 'dere's no telli'n what dat psycho did to him while he was gone. It's not a wrong assumption to say he's just protecti'n himself." The parents processed this carefully.**_

_**" So...he's just blocked out what happened to him?" There was something in the father's eyes. A questioning: Whether to hope or despair. And both parents were still very much afraid for their son. understandably so.**_

_**" Yeah. But it seems to have gone further than that. While he has blocked out the last nine days it seems he's also forgotten everything about himself. It looks like his mind's defenses overcompensated themselves, and in result he has developed full-blown amnesia." Kira looked like she might faint at any moment. Aknam remained silent, his eyes staring at nothing. " Now these kinds of cases are unusual, I'll admit that. But not entirely unheard of. There are recorded cases of other patients having the same kinds of changes to themselves-especially out a result of extreme trauma."**_

_**" But what about this name? The boy... he said his name was Yami." Aknam persisted. He looked up with demanding eyes. The doctor sympathized.**_

_**" I have a hypothesis." A tired sigh, then he began. " Well, we all have different sides of ourselves. When Atemu was stressed and forced to forget, he had to develop a thicker skin, so to speak. His survival mechanism created another way to deal with what was going on around him, I'm sure. When he inadvertently brought on his amnesia, his mind was shattered. I think " Yami" is what survived. The side of himself created to handle what was-is goi'n on around him." Kira wiped her eyes and her determination became stronger.**_

_**" So...our son is still in there." A nod.**_

_**" Yeah, I believe so."**_

_**" So what do we do, doctor?"**_

_**" Well, Mrs. Sennen first we have to evaluate him and see what he does remember. Then we have to try to help him reawaken his sleeping memories. In time I think as he remembers the two personalitles will intergrate together and Atemu will be more or less the same as he was. Then maybe we can finally get some answers." Both parent's faces became more troubled and Mrs. Sennen tensed at his words.**_

_**" More or less? Just what do you mean by that?" Dr. Wheeler removed his glasses and set them down on the table.**_

_**" Well after all the tourture and pain he's suffered...can you say he'll ever be the same again?"**_

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><p><em><strong>All Done! Okay, so next time: " Yami" Tells his side of the story. And is Doctor Joey's theory right? We'll see! Please R&amp;R.<strong>_


	7. Not Familair, Just The Face

_**Hi! I'm back with a new chapter of ' To Save Myself'. Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

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><p><strong><em>Not Familiar, Just The Face<em>**

**_His night had not been a peaceful one. Yami had tossed and turned as his dreams took his mind from the pain and confusion in that hospital room to the darkest recesses of his mind. His reflection had been there again. He could see himself lying in a pool of his own blood. He'd shaken himself, called out to himself. But his reflection had slept on. And Yami let him. Why did this keep happening? This was the third time this had happened now? The morning brought him from his dreams feeling frusterated, un-rested and thuroughly irritated as a honey-eyed, blonde-haired, bespectacled man insisted on talking to him. Yami wasn't feeling up to much talk. Besides, this was a hospital. Didn't that mean he was supposed to be allowed to rest as much as he wanted? The shrink either didn't notice his bad mood or decided to ignore his glares as he pulled up a chair from the corner and seated himself close to his bedside. He whipped out a notepad, pen and recorder from his blindingly white coat and presses a button on the small device then set it on the bedside table next to them._**

**_" This is Dr. Joseph Wheeler with Atemu Sennen, session one. 10:30 a.m" Funny. This guy had a strong brooklyn accent. He'd supposed psychaiatrists would sound boring, or russian or some kind of forgein accent. Like in the old movies. Not like they might have lived next door to you at some point. He sighed in irritation and crossed his arms._**

**_" I'm not Atemu Sennen." The doctor nodded thoughtfully._**

**_" Then what do ya want me to call ya?"_**

**_" My name would be a good start." He said, his tone snide. Joseph inclined his head politely and began again._**

**_" Session one, 10:30 a.m...Yami." Yami gave the doctor a satisfied nod and sighed._**

**_" Look...I get that I kinda look like this " Atemu" guy. But I'm not him." A disbelieving stare. " I'm really not him. My name is Yami Kujaku okay? That's who I am." Dr. Wheeler clicked his pen and put it to the paper._**

**_" That's what I'm here to find out. First let's jus' get some basic info, kay?" Yami nodded. Joseph drew a line down the center of the paper, then on one side wrote Atemu. On the other side he wrote Yami. On Atemu's side he wrote down the boy's birthday, June 6th 1992. " Okay Yami. Date of birth?" The boy sighed heavily and then rattled off the date._**

**_" June 6th, 1992." What do you know. A match. The doctor recorded the date then moved his pen over and wrote down Atemu's social security number: 231-71-4887. Would there be a second match? He moved his pen to Yami's side of the paper and prepared to write down the same sequence of numbers again._**

**_" Social security number?"_**

**_" I don't have one." Well that was different. The psychaiatrist looked up at Yami, peering at him over the lens of his glasses. " Look, when you live with a crack head, who thinks the less people know about you the better, you learn how to keep your mouth shut. Isn't that how kids do it? Learn by example or some shit?" Yami's fingers fiddled with the bed sheets as he pondered, wondering just how much he could really tell the shrink. _**_'Well...this kind of stuff is supposed to be confidential. I guess it's okay...'** " I could always make up a social security number for myself when I got a job. But I could never hold one down long enough for it to matter." Another surprise. Joseph's eyebrows raised as the young man spoke. Atemu had never worked as far as he knew. And did this young man just make a reference to drugs? Joseph fingered the recorder, making sure it was still on. Then he began again.**_

_**" Aren't you a bit young to be working so much? What about your parents?" Yami snorted disbelievingly and leaned back in to the pillows.**_

_**" What parents? My dad could be anyone in the world for all I know. He didtched my mom when he found out I was holding her hostage in her own body. And Mom...she was more interested in her next fix than me. Whether it be gents or whatever generic street drugs she could get her hands on. I was barely a thought. Look," Yami sat himself up straighter and un-crossed his arms. " I didn't grow up in some cushy, Domino mansion, okay? I grew up in the real world." Joseph looked at the young man sympathetically and leaned forward. **_

_**" Where is your mother?" Yami's jaw tensed and he looked away as his fingers fisted the blankets under him.**_

_**" Dead. O.D. She was really stupid." Yami shook his head and blinked harshly as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. But he refused to cry. It did no one good to have tears or see them. Besides, he hadn't been lying about his relationship ( If you could call it that.) with his mother. What good did it do to cry for her when she barely ever cared about him-if at all? No, tears were no good here. Meanwhile the doctor listened and watched with fascination. This other personality of Atemu's seemed to be a very elaborate one. He came in assuming to find similar traits that would point to Atemu, but beyond that birth date there was nothing he was seeing of the supposed teen. A completely different person was sitting two feet away from him now.**_

_**" How long ago did she die, Yami?" He asked gently. Yami shrugged and looked away from the doctor, his eyes still moist looking.**_

_**" Four months ago. We weren't exactly close. Haven't been for years." He added quietly. Yami shrugged his shoulders, as if shrugging off an unwelcome thought and began again. " She ignored me when she could. But I could always count on seeing the palm of her hand on pay day. When she didn't show...I knew something wasn't right. So I went to check up on her. I found her dead."**_

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><p><em>He rapped his knuckles harder against the wood. He'd been knocking for three minutes. It wasn't like her to miss this day...unless she was passed out or something. He didn't want to see her. He had just come home from " Work" four hours ago. He was still dressed in his " Uniform" and he knew she was bound to harp on about that. She always did like to criticize the way he did things. He was dressed in tight black leather pants, the material hugging his legs nicely. Black buckled boots adorned his feet. A simple back tank top adorned his torso, the hem not quite reaching his waist giving one a nice view of his toned stomach. A red button-down shirt left undone finished off the attire. Watch her start complaining. Though considering the things she did Yami felt her attitude towards him was nothing but hypocritical. He didn't want to see her. He didn't feel like fighting with her. Not today.<em>

_' Fine. I'll just come in, drop off the cash, then leave.' He took out a pair of keys from his pocket and put one in the door's lock. It gave easily and with one twist of the knob the door swung open. The apartment was a mess. Clothing and boxes of god-knows-what, then papers and dishes were thrown helter skelter about the room. Directly in front of him was a worn brown recliner...and he could see bright blonde hair peeking overhead. But it was tilted. ' Passed out. I knew it.' " Mom?" No answer. Yami slowly walked in to the apartment and touched her shoulder. " Mom?" Nothing. A sudden sense of dread began to enfold him. Even in her worst stupor she always answered him when he called her. He carefully walked around the couch. Then a hand flew to his mouth as a surge of bile shot to his throat. He was going to be sick. Mai Kujaku stared out at the space ahead of her, her once beautiful violet eyes having lost their light some time ago. Her blonde hair lay around her like a golden halo, her jagged blonde locks framing her face, just like jer son's. A needle was resting in her lap, her fingers holding tight to her strongest source of comfort even in death._

_Blood had ceased to leak from her wrists some time ago, and now lay on her skin in a coagulated, drying mess, the puddle under her hands black in the dim light of the room. By the look of things she had not been dead long. Six hours at the most. He was powerless to stop the tears and Yami kneeled down next to the chair, gripping the arm for support as his other hand clamped tighter over his lips, his breath coming ragged through his nose. His hand moved from his mouth to his eyes as he struggled to contain the tears pouring hard and fast from his eyes. He looked back at her and the sight was made all the worse when he caught a glimmer in her lap. With tremblng hands he took it from her. Then the tears began again. It was a picture of his mother and himself as a boy, sitting on the shore of a lake, both smiling at the camera. One of the few times they had been truly happy together._

_There had been a time when Mai Kujaku had loved her son, and Yami thought the world of her. Even on her worst day to Yami his mother would always be the most beautiful woman he ever knew. Shimmering, long blonde hair flowed down her back, her bangs shaped just like his. Their eyes had held the same shape, but his crimson could never compare to the violet beauty her's held. Pale, creamy skin stretched over a model-thin frame and her generous chest area. High cheekbones and glossy red lips. She could have been an angel in a past life. And as a boy he had loved to hear her sing to him and read him stories. But her love for him was matched-perhaps even overshadowed by her need for drugs. He couldn't count how many times he had come home from school to find her high or drunk or passed out from partying. Sometimes she wasn't there at all. Mai had, at her pleading son's requests bounced back and fourth from one rehab clinic to another. _

_Her moments of soberiety were few and far in between. And Yami had begun taking jobs at twelve to help pay off her medical debts. From delivering newpapers to mowing other people's lawn he had done all he could to help her. No one was sure when or why she had begun using, but it had not helped either her or Yami in the long run. And when he found out she had been using his money to buy drugs and alchohol...he gave up. Shouting matches had become a part of their routine, Mai calling him everything but a child of god as he outed her as a drug addict and a whore. And when she slapped him...he left her. He had been fifteen then. Whenever he found a job...whatever it was she would always come knocking, demanding a share, lest she reported his " Hobbies and Buisnesses" to the cops. It had gotten that bad. He believed after their blow-up she had simply stopped fighting her addiction._

_Now look what she'd done. _

_She had given in to her sickness, and planned on dying by it. When that failed it seemed she'd slit a vein or two to finish what she had started. Yami sniffled and wiped his eyes, slowly standing up and looking down at his mother, the picture still in his hand. On the tabe was a manilla envelope with his name on it. He opened the small package and pulled out the first thing he saw. It was a letter, written in shaky but still elegant handwriting. _

_' My Yami. I know you hate all of this. And me. And I know you'll hate to find me along with this letter dead. Even more to know I'm shot up while writing this. But I can't do this anymore. There is so much I wanted to tell you. Guess it's a bit too late now. I have made many mistakes with you. I know that. But there's alot more you don't know. I can only tell you now that I'm sorry. I am so sorry, Yami. I never thanked you for trying to help me, and love me. I never thanked you for staying with me as long as you did. I'm sorry I didn't say it when I was alive but I'm saying it now._

_Thank you, Yami._

_Mama.'_

_He gripped the paper hard as the tears threatened to come again. Taking a rattling deep breath he looked inside the envelope and found something he did not expect. A check for five thousand dollars-cashed already according to the stamp on the paper. The account was from Domino bank. Too confused and hurt to try Yami didn't even bother to make sense of it. The last thing in the envelope was a wad of green bills. He took the picture, the envelope and all of it's contents and ran out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. Then Yami ran out of the building to the streets and ran through sprinkling rain to his own home. In a floorboard under his bed was where he would stash his meager inheritance. A photo, a cashed check, a suicide letter, and a small ammount of cash. He would cry the rest of the day and in to the night._

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><p><strong><em>" Did your mother leave you anything?" The doctor asked gently. Yami blinked hard again, refusing to cry and gave the doctor a curt nod, still refusing to meet his warm honey eyes.<em>**

**_" Yeah. Twenty-seven dollars." Probably all the money she had left to her. He didn't need to know the rest. He didn't need to know about the picture, or the starnge check, or then letter. Those were his. And as he'd been allowed to grieve he'd also began to make sense of things in his mind-try to make it right. _**_' She barely cared about me then, if at all. Crying for her is pointless. I haven't seen her cry for me in years. She stopped being my mother a long time ago. There's no reason to cry.'** Yami forced his tears away then cleared his throat. He looked back at the shrink, his eyes suspicious as a question suddenly took root in his mind. " So tell me doctor... Why does a shrink need one's social security number?" Joseph shrugged and smiled innocently.**_

_**" I like to have it for my files." What kind of files exactly? Yami's gare intensified and he gripped the blankets.**_

_**" You're one of them, aren't you? One of the proud ' Boys in blue' right?" The psychaiatrist leaned back and his smile faded and he looked at the young man with all the sincerity he could muster.**_

_**" I don't wanna lie to you. While I am a shrink, I also do work for the FBI." So predictable. Yami let a humorless chuckle past his lips and he shook his head at the man.**_

_**" I fucking knew it."**_

_**" But that doesen't mean I care any less for what we do here." He insisted. Yami crossed his arms again and leaned back in to his pillows, his entire body language utterly dismissive, and a superior look to his face. The boy was drawing back.**_

_**" Doesen't matter. You're wasting your time " Dr. Wheeler", cuz I got nothing else to say." No, he neede to understand. It was so important Yami try to understand...**_

_**" In cases like this, there are specific details dat are withheld from the public to sperate the serial confessor from the serial killer, you undertsand? Now, the pattern of your injuries are identical-not similar. Identical with a girl who was murdured weeks ago. A girl from right here in Domino." What was this shrink saying? The same thing had happened to her? Did she get cursed too? There was only one way to know for sure. **_

_**" Prove it." And he did. The doctor clicked off the tape recorder and took his stupid notepad away and left. Then ten minutes later he came back with a thin manilla envelope. Then, blissfully, Yami was left alone. **__**He looked at the small white tab on the side. Miho Kuji. Miho. A nice name. Was she a nice girl? Yami opened the folder...and gasped softly. It was a picture of her body on a metal table. She had been pretty in life, he could tell. But in death she had been disgraced. Her right hand was gone. So was his. Bruises covered her body, small cuts ribboned her lifeless flesh**__**. And on the next photo...her right hand was missing. Just like him. He flipped through picture after picture. Severed hand. Severed leg. Pale face. Cuts. And a picture of what she had looked like when she was whole and alive. He'd been right. she was pretty.**_

_**The door clicked and Yami hurriedly closed the folder then slid it under the covers as that woman came back. Atemu's Mom. She smiled warmly at him and closed the door behind her, a blue bag slung over her shoulder. " Hey, Honey." Honey? What was he supposed to do with this woman. Act normal, maybe.**_

_**" Hi." He said hesitantly. The air was filled with awkward tension. What did you do with someone who thought you were a stranger, and what did you do with a person who was a stranger? Kira Sennen came forward and set the bag down on a table at the end of the bed. **_

_**" I brought some of your things to help make you feel more at home." She was the same. She thought he was Atemu. She thought he was her son. Yami scratched his temple nervously, not really looking at her as she rummaged around in her bag. She gasped and he dared look up. She smiled wide and slowly pulled out a white teddy bear wearing a black suit. The kind you wear to weddings. Was that a lace scarf around it's neck? " This...is Mr. Mozzurt." What the...? She'd spoken to him like he was friggi'n five years old. Her smile faded as she took in his face: Disbelief. Shock. The question was clear on his face. Are you high? Kira lauhed nervously and then her smile turned sad as she set the bear down.**_

_**" You don't remember Mr. Mozzurt." Yami shook his head slowly. Nooooo. " When you were little you used to sleep with him all the time. You wanted to name him Motzart, after the musician but you couldn't quite pronounce his name right. How could you, I mean. You were only four when you first got him." She rambled. Yami nodded slowly and huffed through his nose. **_

_**" Look, you seem like a real nice lady and all. But I'm not Atemu, okay? I'm not your kid. I don't need this. All I need to know is when I can get out of here." The look on her face...you would think he'd slapped her. She blinked rapidly then shook her head and smiled. Why did she keep smiling like that? She pulled an ipod out of the bag, the headphones wrapped around the small device.**_

_**" This is some of your-sorry. Some of Atemu's favorite music. You love your music. And you know, they-they use music to help people come out of comas." She smiled hopefully at him. He'd had enough of this shit. For fuck's sake he wasn't Atemu!**_

_**" Lady, does it look like I'm in a fucking coma to you!" He snapped. Her smile was wiped clean off of her face and she flinched back from him, her hand coming up to cover her lips as a tear slid down her face. Now he felt like an ass. Damn it all. He understood. She was obviously a very loving woman who has lost her son, and now she thought he was him. Like everyone else. All she wanted was her son. It must be nice, to be so loved like that. **' Atemu, you are one lucky son of a bitch.'** He wasn't Atemu. But at the least he could cut the lady a break. One Goddamn break. " What else is in the bag?" He asked quietly. Kira sniffled and wiped her eyes then reached in a pulled out a picture frame.**_

_**" U-Umm...some pictures from home." Then she held it out to him, that hopeful smile back on her face. With a tired sigh Yami took the offered picture and stared. Then his body began to tingle as shock coursed through his system. It was him! He was younger, a little kid in this photo. But by God it was him. His tri-colored hair shined in the sunlight, his blue swimming trunks dotted with pale green sea turtles. The water was sapphire blue and rushing to the shore by the look of it. He was smiling happily at the camera, waving as the tide covered his feet and the white sand. It took several moments before he found his voice again. When he spoke his voice was low and stern.**_

_**" Who... who gave you this?" Kira leaned forward, the hope growing rapidly.**_

_**" Is something happening, Darling?" He ignored that last bit.**_

_**" When I was a little kid-"**_

_**" You were seven." She was smiling even brighter, her eyes shining with light. " You, me and Daddy we all wenr to Hawaii for Christmas." Yami frowned. Nooooo. He'd never been to Hawaii before. He fingered the edge of the photo and he began talking. Telling her what he remembered.**_

_**" The picture is the same, but different. My trunks were black. The water was...a greenish-brown. Not blue. My mom was in the picture with me. During Christmas break she took me to this lake just sixteen miles away from downtown. She acted like it was a treat or something. to play in comtaminated water and watch frigging garbage float." Still they had really had fun that day, One of the best days they had ever had. It was so strange looking at this picture. He could see now how people might confuse him for Atemu. Were it not for a few very distinctive differences he would have said yes, he was the one in the picture. But he wasn't. Yami let out a small laugh and carelessly tossed the picture on to the bed. The boy in the picture-the him who was not him smiled up at them both.**_

_**" I guess all little kids look alike at some point." And as Yami lay back against the pillows, now as disinterested as when they began Kira's hope left again.**_

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><p><em><strong>Done! Next time: Yami tells his side of the story-and another attack! PleaseR&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!<strong>_


	8. True Or False?

_**Hi! I'm back with a new chapter of ' To Save Myself'. Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

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><p><em><strong>True Or False?<strong>_

_**The wheelchair sqeaked across the floor as Yami was wheeled in to a private waiting room. Inside a man and a woman, both brunette and both dressed in suits waited for him. Joey parked his chair and came around to guesture to the pair. " Yami, this is Detectives Tristian Taylor and Anzu Mazaki." Yami nodded once and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. He shot the cops an accusing stare and smirked at them.**_

_**" Yeah. I've seen them around." Like outside of his room whenever Atemu's parents weren't pestering him. " My prison guards." An awkward silence fell over the group and Tristian cleared his throat feeling somewhat uncomfortable.**_

_**" The security measures are for your own comfort, Yami." Tristian said, his voice stiff. The teen snorted in disbelief and rolled his eyes at them both. Anzu stepped forward and looked down at him almost pleadingly. Oh, so was this good cop/bad cop? So this was how it worked...**_

_**" Yami, who cut you? Thats all we want to know." Yami hesitated. How could he even begin to tell them when even HE didn't understand? Tristian shoved his hands in to his pockets and stepped up beside Anzu. **_

_**" Look, kid. Once he finds out you're alive he's going to come after you. Now we've done everything we can to keep this out of the press but...it's bound to get out sooner or later." Yami arched a regal brow and leaned back in his chair.**_

_**" So you're going to use me as bait unless I cooperate. Is that what you're saying?" He asked cooly. Anzu sighed and knelt down so she could look directly in to his eyes.**_

_**" Yami, help us. Please. You saw the pictures of Miho. Whoever cut her cut you. You can't deny that." Joey sat down in one of the chairs and pulled out that recorder he loved so much. With a press of a button the tape began.**_

_**" Yami, what do ya remember of da past few weeks?" He asked. Yami half-laughed at the irony and shrugged.**_

_**" Everything." The psychaiatrist's eyebrows lifted in surprise. The cops stepped away and took their seats across from the young man.**_

_**" Everythi'n. Dat's...unusual." **_

_**" Yami, who did this to you?" Detective Mazaki asked gently. Yami shrugged.**_

_**" I don't know." Anzu shook her head in confusion. If he remebered everything then how could he not know?**_

_**" Were you blindfolded?"**_

_**" You were locked up?" Tristian supplied. Yami sook his head. Anzu smiled reassuringly to the boy.**_

_**" It's okay if it doesen't make sense to you. We'll put the pieces together." Well, if it would grant him some quiet. Yami knew unless he gave them something no one was going to leave him alone. Yami sighed and propped his elbow on the chair so he could rest his head against his hand. A weary guesture.**_

_**"...Okay, so I got this new job. Night shift." Now it looked like they might be getting somewhere. Detective Mazaki leaned forward and laced her hands together as Tristian regarded the young man seriously.**_

_**" What kind of job, Yami?" She asked. He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, searching for the right way to open up about his...career.**_

_**" A host...at a genleman's club. Professional exotic dancer." No. This kid was seriously not trying to tell them he was a stripper. But Detective Taylor saw no lie in his eye, no shifting of the body, or fidgeting. Not even tenseness-all classic signs of someone telling a lie. The kid was completely calm. In fact the only thing that seemed to bother Yami/Atemu was the subject. Yami didn't like talking about " Work." It wasn't that he enjoyed it. Not one bit. But due to his upbringing, if one could call it that, it was all he knew. And he was very good at pleasing his customers.**_

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><p><em>He stared back calmly at the man who might be his next employer, scrutinizing his ID card. He had been taught long ago that no matter how nervous you were, or how bad things got you never show emotion. Don't let anyone have the pleasure of knowing your true self. Let them see only what you want them to see. " So, do I get the job or what?" The employer, a tall man with bronze skin, taut muscles and wild spikey blonde hair regarded his with a faint smirk. Dressed in a purple leather top that only came halfway down his chest, and tight black leather pants on his legs he was a sight to see. Gold armbands glittered in the dim light on his biceps. He looked like he could be the star of the show as oppose to the one running it. He handed Yami back his ID and leaned back againt the wall and crossed his arms.<em>

_" Look, Kid. I don't care what you're real age is. Your ID says your 21? Then you're fucking 21." He jerked his thumb back to a closed door and smiled. " You got ten minutes to get ready. Your big audition starts then." He knew. Yami pocketed the forged ID, then adjusted his backpack and strode to the room to get ready. The time went by fast. Seconds were minutes and the lights hit the stage, washing everything blue, the poles on the stage glinting in the light as the music began. A slow, sultry beat made to make you move. Vertically or horizontally. The spotlights began shining on each individual star on the stage, still dim enough to cast faint shadows to play on their skin. To the right of the stage was a man with white hair and black eyes, leaning on the pole dressed in a pair of leggings made of chains. That was it. He shot the crowd with an almost twisted smile before he spun around on the pole and began dancing. Then the lights hit Yami._

_His chest was bare, save for a small siver ring pierced in to his left nipple. On his legs were black lace pants with dragon patterns, the serpents coiling around his legs and one claw resting over his manhood, while his pale skin was visible through the netting. Knee-high black boots covered his feet, strapped with buckles by the inch. His crimson eyes had been outlined with eyeliner, making them stand out even more than usual. On each wrist was a broken silver handcuf, the chains a foot long each, causing one to wonder just what HAD he been chained to? The music picked up a beat and the men began to dance. Yami slid down the pole's lenth, his back against the metal. Then he slowly let go and crawled teasingly slow across the stage until he was almost face-to-face with the crowd. He lay down and rolled over, his eyes closing as he rolled his hips and tiled his head back, lips parted. As if initiating the beginnings of a sexual act with an invisible partner._

_He sat up and crawled back on his hands until he found the pole again, then grasping it pulled himself up and swung around the pole. He grasped it above his head with one hand, and used the other to stroke the metal length as if it were his lover. Yami ground his hips against the pole in time with the music's beat, moving his torso in time with the melody-movements as fluid as a snake under musical hypnosis. His eyes took in everything without really seeing anything. But there was one thing he cared to notice. Something different from his norm. _

**_" He could have been there...the first night I danced. I don't know. I remember seeing someone...off. He stood out. But it looked like he was trying not to. Funny how those types work, huh?"_**

_At the back of the room, in a sea of blue, greys, greens, shadows and lust was a lone figure. A man by the look of 'em. He wore a black suit and a grey tie. Silk. The lights reflecting off the material told him that much. He had on a black fadora hat. And his face...was red. It was a cloth mask of some sort. It vaguely reminded Yami of one of those stupid stockings robbers wear over their faces thinking no one could see through them. But this was thicker. He really couldn't see the face underneath. And it was red. The only spot of red in the room. Yami kept his eyes on the stranger, and even though he couldn't see him he knew the red man was looking right back at him. Yami lifted himself up on the pole and flipped his body so that he was upside-down and closed his eyes again, letting one hand fall limply saying without words he was content there. Then with surprisingly quick reflexes he flipped himself off of the pole and landed in an almost feral crouch, letting his lips part in a small snarl as his eyes smoldered in to the crowd. The cheers and whistles began. He slowly stood and cast a glance to his rival, who was twisting and turning against the pole seductively. He had good moves. Inspiration hit and he slowly walked over to the other man._

_The white-haired one glared his way-still keeping the seductive haze to his eyes-and then grabbed one of Yami's chains and pulled him forward with a hard jerk. He complied and came over. Smirking at his challenger he leaned forward and claimed his lips. The other was startled at first. Then catching on to the gimmic he opened his mouth and let Yami in, their toungues fighting as their hands roamed eachother, the albino's back pressed against the pole. They parted, they shoved eachother away and smirking Yami ran to his own pole, grasped it and swung all the way around. The cheers were much louder than they were before. He looked back to where the red man had been sitting before. He was gone._

_Before long the routine ended and both young men faced Marik, their skeptical superior. The Egyptian clapped his hands slowly, smirking at the pair with what one might say was pride. Yami knew it already. He got the job. " Inspirational. A truly incredible feast for the eyes gentlemen. Well done. So Bakura," He turned to the white-haired man who had played his partner on stage. " What say you to having young Yami here as a permenant piece of decor?" Bakura shrugged, one hand resting on his hip as he took a slow drag form a cig and letting the smoke out in one easy breath._

_" I say he'd better not kiss me again unless he wants that tasty toungue bitten off next time." He shot Yami a warning glare to which he responded with a letcherous smirk._

_" You know you liked it." The other proceeded to roll his eyes then exit the room. Yami and Marik talked briefly over his new schedule, he was handed his night's earnings then Yami walked back to the dressing room to change. It took less time to change out of his costume than it had to change in to it. Three minutes later he exited, back to waring a pair of grey jeans and a black hoodie, and he walked out of the establishment. The night air was cold, but not unbearably so. It was fall weather. He shoved his hands in to his pockets and kept walking. A click behind him. Yami whirled around to glare viciously at whomever was following him. He saw no one. But he knew he was not alone. He could feel invisible eyes on him, sense a presence nearby. No one would blame him for being afraid in that moment. However his fear was not so great as his irritation. His desire to get to the bus stop increased as his need for peace and quiet pulled at his tired mind. So he kept walking._

_The streets were empty. Everything was quiet. A cricket's chirp here, the rustle of fall leaves there as they were tossed to and fro by the light wind playing the air. A car passed Yami by at a leisurely speed. The headlight's hit Yami, then the road...then a stranger standing near the road. Yami paused as the lights from the car flashed on the only other lone individual on the streets. It was that man. The red-mask fadora man. Was this the one following him? He frowned in irritation. What was this? He stomped forward ready to chew the bastard up and spit him in the gutter. No one was there. The sidewalk was empty. What the hell...? The uneasiness began to build in his chest tighter than before. But he kept his face calm. Shoving down his unwelcome discomfort he walked ahead to the bus stop. A singand le bench with a plastic awning and glass walls on either side. The glass had been grafittied and paint-splattered by God-knows-what creating an odd stained glass window look. The single street light overhead cast multicolored shadows on the white sidewalk._

_Yami leaned against the wall, looking down the street for his ride. Another car zoomed by. Then another. Instinct told him to look behind him. Another may have said it was divine intervention. But Yami wasn't religious by any means. He turned his head...then stumbled back until his head lightly rapped the other wall. The fadora man was staring at him from the other side of the glass. And there was something in his hand. A rag? The bus crawled up the street, the headlights just as bright as the others. The glass shown brightly, the colors danced. And one gleaming eye caught by a thin trail of red paint stared at him. There was never a more welcoming sound than that of the bus doors hissing open. Yami turned and jogged to the doors, paid his fare then sat down hoping strongly the other man would not get on. The doors closed and he relaxed. As the bus pulled away Yami leaned towards the window, out of curiosity you could say. Was he still watching him?_

_No one was there._

* * *

><p><strong><em>" Everything about him was just...intense." A sigh, then a rub to his temple. " I never really got to see his face." Tristian Taylor leaned forward in his chair, confusion in his eyes.<em>**

**_" How do you know it was the same man from the club?" Yami shrugged and shook his head._**

**_" I just knew."_**

**_" Was he tall? Thin? Stocky-what?" Anzu asked gently. Imploringly. Yami frowned in thought as he struggled to remember._**

**_" He was wearing a red cloth mask and a black fadora hat. You know, like in the old mobster movies."_**

**_" Are you sure?" Tristian was stredded. What kind of crazed story was this kid trying to feed them? Yami tesned, sensing the other's thinning patience and disbelief. Instinctively Yami began going on the defensive side of his own temper._**

**_" Look, I'm not sure about anything, okay!?" He snapped. Anzu's eyes darted between the two tense males then looked back to Yami._**

**_" What about when he cut you? You didn't see his face then?" Yami gave Anzu a look one might give to a psychopath whom insisted they'd done the right thing._**

**_" What part of " Mask" did you not get?!" The detective had reached the end of his patience. He slammed his hand down on the table and locked his angry brown eyes to equally indignant crimson._**

**_" Look Atemu! He gave you drugs! To make you watch! You HAD to have seen something!"_**

**_" I don't lie! If I tell you I didn't see him, then I didn't fucking see him!" Detective Mazaki stood up and crossed her arms, staring down at the young man and speaking to him as if she were scolding her own child._**

**_" Atemu, you have got to stop playing these games with us. We need to know the truth!" THEY?! THEY DID?! Yami scoffed and waved a dismissive hand disregarding them all. _**

**_" Oh, right it's all about you cunts! Well what about me?! You think I don't?! HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU FEEL?! FINGERS, HAND, LEG GONE! I PRACTICALLY FUCKING DIED! AND NOW I'M LOCKED UP IN THIS GODDAMN HOSPITAL LIKE SOME KIND OF PRISONER!"_**

**_" I think we've all had enough today." Dr. Wheeler stood up and clicked his oh so trusty tape recorder off. " Detectives...if I may have a word."_**

**_" Have several. The more you talk to them the less they talk to me." Yami snarled. Detective Taylor started for the boy, but a gentle hand from his partner stopped him. Shooting the teen one more stare he stormed out of the room, his partner and the doctor trailing behind him._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>" So what are you saying, Doctor?" Tristain was leaning against a metal operating table, Anzu standing against the opposite wall with her hands folded behind her back. Joey Wheeler removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was seated in a wooden chair, straddling it backwards as his arms rested on the back. The psychologist sighed wearily.<em>**

**_" I don't know. It's usually easy ta find da' inconsistencies. Da holes in the fantasy. Even in da most extreme cases of post traumatic stress disorder you still get a measure of the original person." Detective Taylor shook his head._**

**_" You know what, Doc? I think we're wasting out time. I think this kid's lying through his teeth."_**

**_" No, no. He ain't lyi'n. He's coveri'n. I think I got the answer."_**

**_" Please, Doctor." Anzu guestured with her hand, inviting the doctor to continue. " Do you think he's crazy?" Dr. Wheeler replaced his glasses. A humorless smile crossed his lips._**

**_" Ain't we all on some level?" Tristian un-crossed his arms._**

**_" Is there any truth to what he's told us? Is he telling the truth?" Joey regarded him for several seconds before answering him._**

**_" Yes. Or at least he belives he's truthful. Now I already ran dis' theory by his parents. Now I'm gonna run it by you. I think " Yami" is Atemu's way of processing what's happened to him. It's uncommon, but not unheard of, of people developing dual personalities. When enough trauma is inflicted it is a fact one may go in to shock and block out the events entirely. In some cases, da victim gains self-induced amnesia. In rare cases, dey can come out with an alternate personality to help their minds deal with what's happened. " Atemu" is probably still too broken to come forward an' tell the whole story. From what we know he was a reserved, polite, highly intelligent and talented young man. Now he's " Yami" who is tough, argumentative, dismissive and defensive. He's telling da story as he knows it. For both of 'em. So, do I belive dis " Red man" exists? Yes. Do I belive he don't know who he is? Yes. As far as location I do believe he's holding dat information back."_**

**_The two detectives stared back at the doctor, processing everything he had told them. So if Yami was just another side of Atemu... " Okay, so he gets to a certain point in his story and stops talking. Why?" Tristian wondered aloud._**

**_" Because he thinks no one's gonna believe 'em." Miss Mazaki looked down, her heart full of pity for the traumatized boy._**

**_" I don't think even he believes it." How would anyone else? Already the rumors were swarming. And the press were not helping. No one knew who, or how...but someone leaked the information to the press. At home Aknam Sennen flipped through the channels on the television, trying to find some way to keep himself occupied until visiting hours reopened at the hospital. On the news station his blood ran cold as the last of the evening report reached his ears._**

**_"...confirmed that nineteen year old Atemu Sennen has been found alive, and is currently being held at Domino General Hospital." Now everyone knew. Their friends. Their relatives. The killer._**

**_" Oh, no."_**

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><p><strong><em>What was the purpose of dreaming? Yami remembered reading about some guy saying dreams were a part of one's subconscious. Where repressed thoughts were encountered in dream-form. He also remembered reading that dreams were actually visitations to or from alternate planes of reality. And then he also remebered hearing dreams were actually psychic connections to other people one might know from another lifetime. Okay...so what the fuck were his dreams? Yami really wanted to know. For the past several days he had the same dream: Where he stood ( Or sat) in front of a mirror and talked to himself. And himself talked back. Why? The him and the other him stared eachother down through the glass, but their reflections weren't the same so much anymore. Yami's dismemberments were bandaged with clean tourniquets and cloth. The other him's limbs weren't looking so good. It looked like someone had crudely bunched up some random bits of cloth and tied them down with chords of some kind. Blood leaked through the random fabrics staining them black and red.<em>**

**_" You don't look so good." Yami commented. The other him smiled kindly at him, which then turned in to a grimace as he adjusted his position on the floor to better suit their...condition. Both boys were sitting on the floor indian-style._**

**_" But you do. I'm glad." He was glad?_**

**_" Why?" Yami asked suspiciously. The other him cocked his head and looked back at Yami curiously._**

**_" Is it wrong to be? I would rather not have anyone share this pain. Or maybe you're a reflection of myself as I wish to be. No, that can't be it. If that were true then I would see me whole, at home and with my loved ones. But maybe you are another part of me-maybe the realist who sees himself as I will one day be if I am ever found. Will I be?"_**

**_" By all means take your time. Not like you have anyone but yourself to talk to here." Yami mumbled. To his surprise he heard himself chuckle and he looked back in to the mirror._**

**_" I thought that's what you were."_**

**_" I am me. So are you."_**

**_" I believe you-or I have that backwards."_**

**_" Who are you really?" Yami asked, narrowing his eyes at himself. This was becoming too much of a hassle for him-them-they...fuck it. The him who may-or-may-not-be-him simply blinked back. _**

**_" Atemu. Isn't that our name?" He asked, confusion heavy in his eyes. A shake of the head._**

**_" No. It's Yami." And then the conversation ended as " Atemu" suddenly vanished from the mirror. Only now no one was there. Weird... Somehow...Yami didn't know how. But somehow he knew Atemu had woken up, forced to leave their dream. The mirror's inky black surface flickered as an orange flame lit the glass. Then another. Suddenly Yami was in a dimly lit room, the walls flickering orange and red from the firelight coming from the fireplace. The red man slowly walked in to view, passing a shiny red something from knuckle to knuckle in his hand. It was a red dagger...made of glass? Already he knew what was coming. Yami went to stand up and cursed-or tried to. His mouth was gagged and his body was strapped down to metal. He struggled hard against his bonds but the belts were just too tight! _**

**_The knife came down, dragged lightly down his left arm. Then at the crevice where the arm bends the man pierced his skin, tauntingly digging it in deeper at a slow pace. The pain lanced him and he screamed in to the fabric. Yami's right hand came around to grasp at his wound and a sick wet splat reached his ears. A blink. He was back in the hospital. The moonlight filtered through the room...and blood soaked his arm. Before he could stop it a scream of fear ripped from his throat. Goddamn it why couldn't he stop screaming?! The lights blared on and Aknam Senned stared in horror as blood leaked from his son's arm to soak the sheets under him. " HELP! WE NEED HELP IN HERE!" The door banged open and Detectives Mazaki and Taylor ran in, both staggering to a stop when they caught the sight of Atemu. Aknam ran forward with a towel and pressed it to Atemu's arm._**

**_" GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Yami punched the man directly in the chest and he staggered back. Anzu ran to his side and held a halting hand out to Mr. Sennen._**

**_" Sir, you need to back away and let the doctor's help him!" Tristian was already in the hall, screaming for a doctor. Aknam shook his head and narrowed his eyes in anger at the female detective whom was supposed to be caring for his son._**

**_" Someone broke in to my son's room and attacked him, and damn it I wanna know who it was!"_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Done! Long chapter this time around, huh? so what do you think's going on? Next chapter: Therapy sessions, more weird dreams, and Yami finally meets Yugi! Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!<em>**


	9. Transitions

Hello people! Been forever and a day since I last worte here, huh? Well working on multiple stories on a tight work schedule will do that. Anyways I've made this a nice long one for you with a nice surprise at the end. Have fun! Disclaimer: I own nothing!

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><p><em><strong>Transitions<strong>_

_**To say the rest of the evening was spent peacefully would have been an outright lie. Yami hadn't gone back to sleep again. Not after the attack. But strangely enough it wasn't the adrennaline rush or the sense of danger that kept him up. And as to who attacked him, well that was a mind-boggling mystery in itself. More than anything else it was the dream he remembered sharing that kept his mind going. He had thought from the start that he had been talking to some part of his conscience ( If one could believe he actually had one of those.) But now he wasn't so sure. The him-who-wasn't-him-but-said-it-was had called himself Atemu. Now why would he do that? Was it these people? Did their constant insistence somehow seep in to his brain and now he was calling even himself this " Atemu" person? Or was it something...more? And the last of the dream. Being tied down, the blade working it's way in to his skin biting and piercing him as both of them screamed in pain. Then to wake up with the gash in his arm. How the hell had that happened? Was it just coincidence?**_

_**He had been hurt. Atemu had been hurt. His head was about to expolode. Atemu said he was him, but he was Yami. Who the hell was he supposed to be? Never Atemu. Not this person everyone kept saying he was. He knew who he was. He had a life. It can't have been a lie. As for Atemu...he'd seen the picture of the guy as a kid. In the photo they looked so much alike at that age it was almost freakish. He could understand why some people might say he was Atemu. But he wasn't. Hell he couldn't even pass himself off as the man. As that last thought crossed his mind Yami looked up from his lap and stared at the mirror in front of him. He was sitting in the wheelchair again, dressed in a white form-fitting t-shirt and a pair of black shorts that stopped just above the knee. He was in some kind of exerscise room with the wall he was facing completely dominated by a mirror. Looking back at himself he was reminded of his dreams, of the times he had talked with Atemu. Could he be him?**_

_**" I am Atemu Sennen." He stated. He looked at his reflection blankly. Then a smile snapped itself on to his face and he began speaking again in a flase, cheery voice. Parroting the small things he had been " Reminded" of by his " Parents." Right. " Hello. My name is Atemu Sennen. I enjoy long walks on the beach, playing the piano, going to school and making new friends. I am an all-around good guy and I have never done drugs. Nor been in a crackhouse or taken part in any illegal activity. I have never sold my body to perverted old hags or America's most wanted for money because I am perfect!" His smile slipped completely from his face and he sighed heavily. That wasn't fair. It wasn't Atemu's fault he was perfect. It was just the hand he'd been dealt. Mocking him ( Yes, he admit it ) was an insult to the other. An unfair one just because he was frusterated. **' Sorry. I shouldn't have done that.'** Yami rested his head wearily in his hand and shut his eyes. For no apparent reason he felt...comforted. Somehow...he didn't know how, he could almost swear Atemu had heard him. The opening of the door brought him back and he opened his eyes to stare at the friendly-looking doctor behind him through the mirror. In his grasp was-**_

_**" Good morning. Say hello to your new state-of-the-art limbs!" Yami arched a skeptical brow. The man set to work attaching some weird metal something, like a cap for his stump to what remained of his arm. Then he fiddled with this, wired in that...truthfully Yami wasn't all that interested. Only the bite of several small needles going in to his stump had piqued any interest. Rather than watch he glared at the mirror wall at his own reflection. Prostetics. He was being reduced to becoming a mannequined freak now? He felt the same process being done to his leg and again he didn't bother watching. God, who was going to pay for him now? What with these...things on him? A tap on the shoulder. He was going to have to face them sooner or later. Bracing himself he looked back at the kind doctor...then at his limbs. Oh, God. It was worse. He wasn't a mannequin, he had become the freaking Terminator. His leg from the knee down was all metal. Almost like something you'd see on knight's armor. His foot however was skeletal in appearance. He could see multiple wires and metal tubes running almost like veins through his new foot.**_

_**His arm was just as bad. Again from mid-arm to wrist it was a metal armored sheath like his leg. But his hand was all small pipes and wires and gears. " Now I know you may not understand the exact workings of the machinery to your skin, so I'll explain it to you simply. Basically your body is still sending out signals to your detached limbs. I've hooked up your new apendages to the nerve endings of your body so that the signals may be interpited by your new limbs. Your hand, leg and foot all combined have fifteen seperate motors working inside them to create very life-like and exact motions." Yami flexed his metal hand expirimentally and watched in morbid fascination as his metal limb responded exactly as he would have wanted his original hand to. Yami was glad that he had working limbs again, but still...**_

_**" It's...creepy." The doctor laughed good-naturedly and shook his head.**_

_**" No, it's not creepy. It's beautiful. Once wer're sure everything's working the way it's supposed to we'll fit these over them." He turned to the table behind him then looked back to Yami and picked up a thick flesh colored rubber glove. He wasn't an idiot. He knew people couldn't get this stuff off the street. Top notch, high tech stuff like this would cost at least two years rent in his apartment. What these people were doing for him was very generous. At least he could use his hand and leg again. He didn't want to come off as ungrateful. But still, that didn't mean he was one hundred percent happy. His eyebrows rose and a disbelieving smile pulled at his lips as he looked at his new arm's " Disguise."**_

_**"...Great." The testing began and Yami complied with every request the man made. Flex the wrist, tap each finger with the thumb, move the wrist up and down, turn wrist left, right, pick up the pen out of his jacket pocket. Tap his foot, flex the toes, flex the ankle, rotate the ankle. And as promised the rubber gloves were fitted on to his limbs exactly so that the terminator metal was well hidden from view. It was very form-fitting. He compared his hands and they were the exact same size. So were his feet. It wasn't the exact pale complexion as his skin, and you could tell the limbs were fake from a mile away. But it was an improvement. With the doctor's help he stood up from his chair...and the man had to catch him from falling on his face. It was so weird. His balance was off, and the sensation was like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was like his lower leg had been numbed, and feeling his way on the floor just by the weight of his leg from knee to floor was beyond bizzare. Together they hobbled to a black track lined with metal bars.**_

_**" Grab on to these and use them to help you find balance." Yami complied and took each bar in hand and pulled himself in to a standing position, looking at his fake hand with caution as he did so. He couldn't feel anything, but he could see that his hand was indeed gripping the bar. Weird. " Now don't try to walk just yet. Take your time and find your center." The doctor instructed. Yami nodded and looked down at his legs. He shifted from one foot to the other calculating in his head. He flexed his metal foot, then set it down. Swayed on the balls of his feet slowly. He found the longer he stood, the more he moved it the more used to the feeling in his new leg he became. Feeing adventurous he slowly stepped forward with his normal leg...then with his other. " That's it, kid. Nice and easy." Yami moved himself down the bar and slowly stepped forward again. It was both irritating and gratifying. Gratifying that he could walk again. Irritating that he had to walk at a snail's pace to keep from falling. They kept at this for the next hour. **_

_**With the kind doctor walking beside him Yami walked up and down the bar many times. With each new trek along the track he began to feel that much more comfortable with his leg, more trusting of the metal hand guiding him to the point where he barely glanced at it. By the time the hour was up he could walk at an almost normal pace, and supporting himself with the lightest of touches on the bar. " Wonderful. See Yami? You'll be on the dance floor again in no time." Yami turned to the man and for the first time that day smiled genuinely. He knew this guy must have been told about him and his so-called condition. Even so it was nice to hear him say his name. His real name.**_

_**" Thank you."**_

_**" For what?"**_

_**" For calling me Yami."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The physical therapy continued on for the next five days. By then Yami no longer needed the bar and he could walk all on his own. With the hospital's ok Yami had been released from their care. But then came a moment he really didn't wish for. Kira and Aknamkannon told him he was going home with them. " No, it's okay I have an apartment in the city. I don't need you guys to watch me anymore." Kira and Aknam shared a quick glance before she stepped up to him and placed a hand on his arm.<strong>_

_**" But Sweethear... I mean, Yami. You really should come back home with us. The police will be there watching the house so it's the safest place to be. A-And you need to be at home where things are familiar." Yami shrugged her hand away and stubbornly crossed his arms. **_

_**" I've never been to your house." Kira took back her hand and Aknam Sennen stepped forward. **_

_**" Yami, please. We want you home with us." Yami rolled his eyes. " At least until the man who did this to you is caught." He added hastily. Yami looked back at the couple. " By that time if you still want to leave... well then that's your descision. Please." Yami sighed and mulled it over. Okay, so they did have a point. He did need a safe place to crash until this whole thing was over with. And maybe...by staying he could convince them he was not nor had he ever been their son. And then tell them...what? Then a cold feeling seeped it's way through to his very bones as the sudden thought came to him. **' I'm not their son. And if he was caught by this hacker nut then that means... He's still out there somewhere. While they're playing pretend with me their son is-!'** But no one would believe him. He'd lost count of how many times he had tried to tell them-everyone he wasn't Atemu. His name was Yami Kujaku. Maybe by going back with them he could prove it. He had to. And God he was such an idiot! Why hadn't he thought of this sooner?! He had to help Atemu. He just did. If he could prove he wasn't Atemu, then he could prove he wasn't crazy.**_

_**" Okay. I'll go with you."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The trip back was a long one. Yami had watched the scenery pass by his window with no other conscious thought than of Atemu. He wasn't him. How could everyone keep insisting he was? Moreso, how messed-up would someone have to be to have D.I.D? ( Disassociative Identity Disorder. Yes he was aware that this was his " Mental status" now.) He knew he was a little screwed-up. But he was not weak. His mind was stronger than that. His whole life, his job as a stripper, the nights of slow tourture, his old drug addicton, his mother, her illness... her suicide. The best of his memories as a child, the worst of them all ever since. How could all of that be a lie? The car pulled up the driveway and Yami tore his gaze from the window to look up at the house. It was huge. Four gleaming white pillars suspended a stone auning at the front of the house, the roof black as night. French glass doors gleamed at every window and he could tell the curtains were real silvery grey silk. Fowerbeds lined the red stone path up to the cedar double doors. And the inside was even more impressive.<strong>_

_**The livingroom floor was white marble covered with a large white faux fur carpet. The television was a hd flatscreen that hung on the wall and was 1/4th the size of it at least. Below was an impressive collection of movies. A black marble fireplace lined with gold stood at the opposite end of the room with black plush couches against the walls and a delicate looking glass table at the center of the room. To the left was an adjoining room with a long, winding staircase. Beyond this room was a comfortable room with the walls painted lavander. A red carpet dominated this room along with three massive bookcases from floor to ceiling with more books than Yami thought was possible for anyone to read, let alone own. A black baby grand piano stood at the center of this room. Kira And Aknam watched him as he looked thoughtfully at the piano... then turned away dismissively and headed up the stairs. Aknam and Kira walked up after him and Aknam pointed to a room at the end of the hall. " This is your room, Son." Ignoring that last bit, Yami turned the crystal knob to the pristinely white painted door and entered the room. Atemu's room.**_

_**The first thing that struck him was how...clean it was. Everything seemed to have it's own proper place. School books, book bag, desk clear of any clutter, computer placed squarely in the middle of the wood. Bed made to almost military perfection, not a dent or wrinkle to be seen. Hell even the books on the guy's shelf were neat and free of dust. And alphabetized. Geez. The floor was clean and covered with plush carpet. He walked around the space taking everything in. Atemu's space. Then his interest shifted to the collection of photos on his dresser. In one photo Aknamkannon and Kira were dressed very formally surrounded by flowers. It was a wedding photo. Next to it was a picture of a group of smiling, unfamiliar people. Probably his friends. The next one was of a very attractive boy-not unlike himself in the looks department. Same wild hair, same skin complexion. But his bright amethyst eyes shone with innocence and light. Did Atemu have a little brother? And speaking of the devil the last photo in the collection made Yami stop dead in his tracks. The young man in the photo looked exactly...**exactly** like him.**_

_**Atemu was dressed in a blue school uniform sitting on the ledge of a large fountain, in a park it looked like. He had one knee drawn to his chest and his arm rested there, his hand lightly holding on to a pen. In his other hand was a notebook but it was impossible to see what was on the page. Schoolwork? But what got to Yami most was the face. The hair. The intensity of the crimson eyes looking back at him. Jesus. No fucking wonder everyone thought he was Atemu. When he'd seen the picture of Atemu as a little kid he'd passed it off as a coincidence. As he said before alot of kids look alike at some point. But this was totally different. The young man in the picture looked exactly like him! The only visible difference he could see was in the face. There was a warmth there...confidence and gentleness. That look he didn't think, had ever graced his own face before ever. Eyes shining bright with happiness. A carefree smile on his lips, posture of the body totally relaxed. No. He couldn't think of a time he had ever been like that. He tore his eyes from the picture and cleared his throat to try and dispell his unease.**_

_**He turned back to Aknamkannon and Kira and froced a smile to his lips. " Thanks for letting me crash here until thinhs sort out." Aknam nodded and smiled at his son. Kira moved as if to embrace him, then thought better of it and crossed her arms in front of herself, smiling for him.**_

_**" Of course, honey." By now Yami had grown somewhat accustomed to her petnames. He didn't even aknowledge the endearment. A "Merow" drew his attention and he frowned as a cat sauntered in to the room. The parents smiled as the feline twisted itself around Yami's legs purring in adoration.**_

_**" Well now. It looks like we aren't the only ones glad to see you home." Aknam stated proudly. Ugh. Why did this cat want to be near him? Yami had never been a fan. Always knocking things over, constantly demanding attention. And they shed constantly, their fur sticking to everything. It was so hard to get off his clothes. And the claws were not the most pleasant thing to feel on skin. " Meow!" And that sound was irritating. Yami rolled his shoulders uncomfortably and stepped back. He looked back up and fixed the couple with a deadpan expression.**_

_**" I don't like cats." An awkward silence filled the room for several heartbeats. Yami understood the silent statement. It was Atemu's cat...wasn't it? Aknamkannon cleared his own throat uncomfortably as Kira scooped up the furry animal in her arms. **_

_**" O...okay then. Well," Aknam guestured uselessly to the room, unsure of what to do now. Best to just let the boy get his rest. " Goodnight." Yami nodded as he himself struggled to dispel the awkward air around them. Kira alone seemed immunet to the tension as she smiled softly at him and offered him a small wave.**_

_**" Sweet dreams, honey." Yami nodded to her curtly and stood his ground until the door shut and hid the strangers from view. Alone he looked around the room again, feeling like he was intruding. This was Atemu's room. Not his. He had no right to anything here. He eyed the bed as his body began to wear down. He was really tired. Maybe...as long as he kept the room looking good...he could borrow the bed. Already half-asleep the thoughts sounded fair to him and without further ado he flicked the light switch off, stripped off his clothes and dropped them on the computer chair. Then he pulled the covers down, too tired to snoop for sleepwear and slid in to the bed nude. His head hit the pillow and he was unconscious within seconds.**_

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><p><em>He was back again. The black nothingness surrounding him didn't scare Yami. He had learned long ago there was nothing to fear of the dark. Sometimes seeing was more horrifying than being blind. The mirror was in front of him. Yami gazed back at his reflection and his battered, beaten and bloodied reflection looked back at him. No...Atemu looked back at him. His face was a mess. A cut tore through his right brow, a fresh-looking bruise shined on his left cheek and his lips were bloody like he'd been smacked hard in the mouth. He was sitting in a wooden chair, his whole arm resting on his lap. His bloody clothed stump hung straight and still at his side. He had a feeling Atemu might have sat with his fingers laced together in his lap if he could, and perhaps crossed his legs even. A pose one would use for an interview or buisness meeting. Yami realized he was sitting in a chair too. His was metal. The coolness of it bit in to his skin but he ignored it. He knew dreams were meant to make no damn sense, so he accepted it as logical. One minute he was wandering alone in the dark, next thing he knew he was sitting in a metal chair facing Atemu through the mirror they both knew. Whatever. Yami stood up, swivled the chair around so that he could stradle it from behind and rest his arms on the back. Better.<em>

_" You don't take much stock in ettiquette, do you?" Atemu asked, smiling at him. Yami scoffed and rolled his shoulders._

_" Seriously? You sought me out just to say that?" Atemu's smile didn't fade. It had taken on a sort of amusement._

_" I thought you sought me out." _

_" Whatever. Dreams make no fucking sense." Atemu chuckled and tilted his head at him._

_" You said your name was Yami." It was a statement more than a question._

_"...Yeah, so?"_

_" For the benifit of easing my own curiosity...if you are indeed not me, then can you tell me where you are? Are you locked up?"_

_" No." Yami suddenly felt uncomfortable. Like when a child confesses to a parent they have done something wrong. " I'm at your house. Asleep in your bed. Your parents...made me go." Atemu's features shifted to surprise. A myrad of emotions played on his face all at once: Despair, fear, longing, worry, sorrow and panic. It took awhile before Atemu spoke again._

_" They think you are me." Yami's heartbeat increased feeling suddenly very afraid. But why? He wasn't afraid of anything! Unless...was this Atemu's fear?_

_" I know. Everyone does. I swear, I keep telling people I'm not you. They think I'm crazy. The doctor says I have D.I.D. That's-"_

_" Dissassociative Identity Disorder." A surprised, questioning look from Yami. " I take psychology courses as a minor course at college. It...interests me." Yami blew out a frusterated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair._

_" This is so fucked up I don't know what to do anymore. I can't stay at your place. You can't stay... Where the hell are you anyway?" Atemu's expression became troubled as he thought._

_" I don't know. It's dark and warm. That's all I see. This...place. This dreamscape isn't so different from where I am really. Are you really home?" His voice quivered as he said the word home. Yami felt for the guy. He wanted to go home so bad. It was written all over him. He nodded uncomfortably. He had never felt more intrusive than at that moment._

_" Y-Yeah. Your home. Mine's all the way across town. I'm sleeping in your room tonight. I...hope you don't mind. I ain't staying there. Just until I can get out-" Atemu held up his hand to silence him. It struck Yami as such a regal guesture. Atemu nodded and looked back at Atemu._

_" It's fine. Really. Stay as long as you need to." Yami could tell Atemu was being sincere, even as he watched the pain and sadness flicker in his eyes. Yami shook his head hard and stood up from the chair. Although he appreciated the thought now was not the time for it. Even so, how anyone in Atemu's situation could be so generous was amazing to him._

_" No. I don't need to stay. I need to prove I'm not you and go back to my home and my life." Atemu opened his mouth about to say something...when his eyes snapped open._

* * *

><p><strong><em>" A...Atemu, darling?" Yami blinked blearily and winced as the daylight shined right in his face blinding him. He sat up and raised a hand to shield his face. He squinted at Kira as she held a hand over her own eyes. Why? The light wasn't shining in her face. " Um...dear could you...?" Kira waved a hand at looked down then in a flash grabbed the covers. During the night he had tossed and turned. And kicked the covers off. He was on display in all of his naked glory. In front of Atemu's mom. Flushed with embarassment he yanked the covers over himself and cleared his throat. He looked back to her, his eyes used to the light now but his embarassed blush still in place. Kira removed her hand and smiled. " Nice to see that hasn't changed. You always do get embarassed when I catch you undressed. Though I've never known you to sleep naked before." She chattered on as if she were talking about the weathter as she went to his dresser and began rummaging for clothes. " But really honey you don't have to get so frazzled. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Remember I used to change your diapers and powder your bottom every day when you were a baby. So why do you get so-"<em>**

**_" Alright I get it for shit's sake!" Geez! Too much information did not even begin to cover it! No wonder Atemu was embarassed of his mom. Kira giggled and turned back around with a small pile of clothes in her hand._**

**_" Alright, alright. Don't be such a grouchy goon. Here, put these on and I'll see you downstairs." Atemu took the clothes and eyed them skeptically. Boxers, socks, black slacks and a baby blue button-down shirt._**

**_" Am I missing something? Or is this how Atemu always dresses?" If such was the case, then Atemu needed some serious fashion help. He noted the sad look in Kira's eyes even though the smile didn't leave her face._**

**_" Well you do like these. But your right it's a bit formal. It's for today. You have a special visitor coming." Did he now? Was he even sure he wanted to meet this so-called visitor? " Your boyfriend." Maybe. Atemu looked to the computer chair where he left his clothes to find them gone. He whipped his head back to Kira just as she was leaving his room. _**

**_" Hey! Where are my clothes?"_**

**_" Washer!" She called, shutting the door. Sighing in relief he got out of bed and put on the underwear. He eyed the clothes Kira picked...then went to the dresser. Fuck that! He put the dressy clothes back and rummaged around. Atemu had a good selection. And they were the same in size. Somehow Yami wasn't surprised. After looking through everything he settled for tight black jeans and a blood red tank top with some kind of asian symbol on the front. Atemu didn't posess any leather wrist bands like he would have liked...but he did find a chain bracelet with a small lock on it. He slipped on a pair of black dress shoes Atemu owned then brushed his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. It would have to do. Again the intrusive feeling came back. He was wearing Atemu's clothes now. _**_' No I'm borrowing. As soon as I can get my shit together, I'm outta here.'** With a satisfied nod he turned around and walked to the door of Atemu's room. Time for another damn meet and greet. Who would not believe he wasn't Atemu Sennen.**_

_**Down the stairs and hanging a left he heard voices. Yami entered the living room to find Kira and Aknam sitting on the couch talking to a boy. It was the same boy from the picture in Atemu's room. His violet eyes turned to him the minute he walked in and everything seemed to stop. He shot a look to the adults who both looked hopeful before looking to the younger boy. He was even more beautiful in person. Again the thought came and again he had to admit. Atemu was one lucky son of a bitch. He stepped forward as the younger stood up and Yami held out his robot right hand. " Hi. Yami Kujaku." The boy took his hand and shook it.**_

_**" Yugi Mutou. Ow." He jerked his hand back as Yami let go. Aparrently his grip had been too hard.**_

_**" Sorry about that. I'm still trying to get used to the damn thing." He looked to the couch. The parents were gone. Yami looked back to Yugi as he sat on the couch. Yami sat down on the footrest an watched the mix of emotions running through Yugi's face.**_

_**" I should have been there with you." Yami sighed. Here we go. " I should have come to you sooner." Yami shook his head.**_

_**" Look, I know they probably told you I was Atemu but I'm not." Yugi looked back to him and nodded. It seemed he was expecting Yami to say as much.**_

_**" Your parents said you have a spilt personality disorder because of what that freak did to you. You think you're someone else." Yami scoffed and crossed his arms.**_

_**" That's bullshit. I don't think I'm someone else. I am someone else. I'm Yami, okay?" Yugi stared at him for a long time, taking in everything about the supposed stranger in front of him. Then he did something Yami wasn't quite expecting. Yugi leaned close to Yami and kissed him. Yami accepted the kiss ( Hey, Yugi was hot. So like he was gonna complain) and ran his tongue along Yugi's sweet lips. The boy parted for him willingly and they both hummed in pleasure as Yami and Yugi fought for dominance tasting every part of eachother they could. Yami smirked in the kiss then teasingly nipped yugi's lips hard. Yugi pulled back with a surprised gasp and touched his slightly sore lip. Yami's smirk was downright dangerous as he eyed Yugi. " Atemu wouldn't do that now, would he?"**_

_**Yami and Yugi stared at eachother, feeding eachothers lust and excitement to the other. The next kiss they shared was rough and demanding.**_

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><p><em><strong>Done! So is it hot in here or is it just hot in here? Next chapter: More Yugi and Yami, we learn how yami got the same wounds as Atemu ( Or how he thinks he got them if he is actually Atemu. OR IS HE?!) And a visit from Doctor Wheeler says much! Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!<strong>_


	10. Falling To Pieces

Hello! Have you missed me? Well I'm back with the next chapter. WARNING: LEMON AND LIME AHEAD! GORE AND DISTURBING DANCING AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enjoy.

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><p><em><strong>Falling to Pieces<strong>_

_**It didn't take much for Yami to persuade Yugi in to following him upstairs. He shoved Yugi against the bedroom door, indifferent to the surprised cry that sounded through muffled lips as Yami kissed him senseless. He opened the door, guided them both inside then kicked it shut as he wrapped his arms around the young man he was currently devouring. In his heart he knew this was wrong. Toying with and seducing Atemu's boyfriend was not a good idea and someone might get hurt when all was said and done. But in his head it made good sense. Atemu struck him as the stiff type. Probably a romantic who wanted to woo Yugi slowly with roses, poetry and fine dining by candlelight. So it was safe to assume they hadn't gotten this far in their relationship yet. If he pushed the envelope here...maybe it would help Yugi see once and for all that he was not Atemu. Then again he knew he could also be rationalizing everything just to be selfish. Yami had been through hell for weeks and now he needed a distraction. He yearned for it. And sweet, beautiful Yugi was going to give it to him.**_

_**Together they fell back on the bed and Yami made quick work of ridding Yugi of the blue long-sleeved shirt he'd been wearing. Smriking at the younger he lifted his shirt off of his own body and tossed it to the floor, watching Yugi blush as he stared at his body like so many others had. He was desireable. He knew. But today he didn't want money. He just wanted Yugi. He eyed the boy appreciatively, noting his lean muscles and creamy skin. Was Yugi athletic? Fuck it. He'd ask later. Yami slowly caressed his hand down Yugi's face...then his chest letting his fingernails lightly tickle a nipple on the way down. To the hem of Yugi's light blue jeans. Yami kissed him on the side of the neck and smirked as Yugi hummed in pleasure. He liked that sound. Maybe he could make Yugi do that again? " A...Atemu? What are...?" He nipped Yugi's neck earning a cry that was both pleasurable and slightly painful. He pulled away and stepped back, his face wearing an amused, wicked smile.**_

_**" I'm not Atemu, Beautiful. But for you...I could pretend." He slowly reached for the hem of his own pants and then dragged the zipper down. He slowly pushed his pants off with one hand as he stroked his own exposed leg with another. He kept his eyes on Yugi, who in turn seemed unable to tear his gaze away from Yami. Even as he blushed twenty shades of red as Yami stood naked before him Yugi couldn't look away. He ran a hand down his own chest, then walked over to Yugi and crawled on the bed. Yugi moved back as Yami moved forward until there was nowhere to go and Yami had him pinned with his body, his hands on either side of his head and his legs straddling him. " I can be your slave, Yugi. Would you like to dominate me underneath you?" He stroked Yugi's hard-on through his pants and Yugi grunted in pleasure. Yami massaged that place watching Yugi's eyes close in rapture. Gorgeous. **_

_**" I can be your soldier to command. Tell me how to win the fight for you, Yugi." He said huskily, his lips descending on to his collarbone, kissing his way down to his chest. Yugi cried out in pleasure as Yami took a rosy bud in to his mouth and began to suck, working his tongue on the younger in ways that had him gasping for breath. He smiled as Yugi's hand came up to stroke his hair. Yugi's soft touch made him harder with want-if that was even possible. His member throbbed against Yugi's leg. " I can be anything you want. Do you want me?" He kissed and sucked on Yugi's chest making him cry out in pleasure. The distraction in place Yami used the opportunity to remove Yugi's pants and underwear from him so that now he was as naked as Yami. He ran his hand down Yugi's lenth and Yugi arched in to his hand.**_

_**" Do you want me, Yugi?" He asked again, his voice husky with want. Please, please say it.**_

_**"...Yes." That was all he needed to hear. In one swift movement he practically pounced on to Yugi's member taking it in to his mouth and sucking him hard and fast. Yugi screamed in pleasure and arched his back as Yami held his hips down with one strong mechanical arm leaving him free to use his human hand to massage Yugi's sac as he worked on him. Yami made sure to measure his strength. He didn't want to hurt Yugi with his robotic limb. Judging from his cries and moans Yugi wasn't in any form of pain. Good. He could feel Yugi's passion and need...and he was close. He slowed his suction and slowly dragged his mouth down the pusling shaft until his lips were touching the tip. He kissed it lightly and looked up at Yugi, who was looking back down at him with so much lust ( And a little confusion among other things) and unbridled desire. He kissed his way up Yugi's thighs, then his hips, his lower abdomen, his chest all the way to his lips. He needed no coaxing when Yami touched his tongue to his lips. Yugi opened for him instantly allowing Yami to taste him again. And again neither one seemed willing to give in to the other as they fought for dominance tasting eachother along the way.**_

_**Yami slowly lowered himslelf down until his member was aligned with Yugi's entrance and paused. If he had to assume anything it was that he was dealing with a virgin here. So a hard and fast approach right away would only hurt the younger boy. He had to take it slow. Let Yugi set their pace no matter where it went. Confident again he slowly nudged his way through the protective ring of muscle and in to Yugi's hot cavern. He whimpered in pleasure and pain against his lips and Yami kept his slow and steady pace until he was sheathed completely inside of him. They broke their kiss with Yugi gasping for air. Yami massaged his hips and nuzzled his neck as he gave Yugi time to adjust to him. " Whenever you're ready." They instinctively pulled to one another and kissed eachother gently on the lips again. Yami just couldn't get enough of that sweet taste. Yugi was in a similar state, overwhelmed by everything and yet impatient for it all to begin and never stop. This glorious feeling of simply being joined with Atemu was one he wanted to last. Feeling bold Yugi rolled his hips earning a hiss of pleasure from his lover and Yami slowly pulled out...then thrust back in.**_

_**Yugi cried out in pleasure as Yami took him with long, hard strokes. Yami hit something in Yugi that banished away any pain and when he let out a glorious cry of pleasure he knew. Yugi was completely his now. He rammed in to him with an even faster pace, the younger boy clinging to him and thrusting his hips upward to meet his instinctually. Their pace didn't stop and the friction it created was even more staisfying than either could have anticipated. All too soon it seemed both boys met their release and both cried out in orgasmic bliss as Yami released inside of him and Yugi released on their stomachs. Yami pulled out of Yugi and all but collapsed on his back next to the younger boy, panting. When was the last time he'd had sex and enjoyed it? Too long if he cared to think on it for more than three seconds. Beside him Yugi watched as Yami propped himself up on the pillows and rested his arms behind his head, seeming to completely forget that Yugi was with him. Slightly hurt Yugi sat up, pulling a sheet over himself as he did so and watched him with imploring eyes.**_

_**"...Atemu?" He still didn't get it. He sighed a little impatiently through his nose. He looked out at nothing in particular as he spoke to Yugi.**_

_**" So, did he ever do you like that?" He asked casually. Yami glanced sideways to Yugi and enjoyed it when he blushed again. Nope. " Did he...do you at all?" He looked down and Yami smirked, knowing the answer was another no. He chuckled and tilted his head in a curious manner. " Do you think he'd have the guts to start now?" He asked, the leer in his voice low and almost mocking.**_

_**" Okay I get it!" Yugi cried, looking back up to Yami with unshed tears in his eyes. Should have listened to his conscience. He knew someone was going to get hurt. His face blank and serious he fixed Yugi with a hard glare.**_

_**" Do you?" He shot. Yugi trmbled a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Then he fixed Yami with a glare to match his own.**_

_**" You're not Atemu. Atemu wouldn't have meaningless sex with me if he ever chose to. And he'd never talk to me the way you are! Acting cold and callous as if I've done something wrong when we both know that's damn well not the case. You're just acting like an ass becuase you can! Atemu would never behave that way. So yes, Yami , I get it. You're not him!"**_

_**" Finally!" He threw his hands up in the air then let them fall as he closed his eyes in bliss, feeling a strong sense of relief and satisfaction. Finally someone was getting the picture. Finally someone could see the lie this was. He was not Atemu. And Finally, **finally** someone understood that. He could feel Yugi's eyes on him but he was more interested in basking in the immense relief he was feeling then looking back. That was until Yugi spoke again, his voice soft.**_

_**" But if you're not Atemu, then how did you get cut up? How did you get hurt so badly?" Yami slowly opened his eyes and looked back to Yugi, contemplating that himself. How did that happen? Even now Yami wasn't sure. Because how it happened wasn't explainable. Wasn't...natural.**_

_**"...Kid, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Yugi leaned back against the pillows with Yami and placed a gentle hand on his real arm.**_

_**" Please tell me. I want to know." Yami stared at him for a long moment, his crimson eyes intense and calculating.**_

_**" Okay. You asked for it."**_

* * *

><p><em>He let the water run down his skin, feeling his muscles relax. He rinsed the soap from his hair as he listened to the rock music blaring from his room to the adjoining bathroom. It was the size of a closet but it had a toilet and a working shower. It served it's puropse. And tonight he had to be clean for his shift. Last night some drunk skank spilled a bottle of red wine on him. And while he'd had fun toying with her, he didn't feel like going in to work smelling like liquor. He had gone home and pretty much collapsed from tiredness this morning. Hence, his late shower. And if he didn't pick up the pace he would be late for his shift tonight. He was on in four and a half hours! And he had to dry off, dress up, eat his dinner then catch the fourty-five minute bus ride to work. He viciously scrubbed his hair willing the last vestiges of soap to disappear beneath the spray. Suddenly a sharp pain in his hand made him hiss in discomfort and he yanked his hand away to glare at whatever had worsened his already crappy mood. Then his eyes grew wide. His middle finger had turned a sickening black color, curling in to itself as if it had died. Then he watched as the skin plit fron the tip to drag slowly all the way down his hand, then to his wrist the skin turning black where the cut traveled. Blood leaked feelbly from the wound dilluted by the falling water and Yami's uninjured hand flew to his mouth to supress the sudden surge of bile. The scream of pain and horror he wanted to release. <em>

_' How is this happening?! What the fuck is happening-this isn't happening!' __His instincts told him he needed the hospital. NOW. But where the hell was the money supposed to come from? He didn't even have insurance. Mommy Dearest never though to take care of the important things. And he didn't know if he could legaly qualify for such things his income and status being what it was. So no. No hospital. He'd just have to live through it. After work he'd stop by the free clinic for a diagnosis. Then buy a cheap medic kit from the drug store, then look up how to take care of the problem online. Yami would bandage himself up and after some kind of home-care he would fix his hand. Possibly request at least the weekend off so it could heal some then it would be okay. He'd be fine. Not like it could get any worse. With this in mind Yami shut off the shower with his good hand, sure he was clean now, then stepped out of the stuffy stall in search of a tourniquet. Finding none, he decided simple toilet paper would have to do for now._

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><p><em>The next four hours and ten minutes found him sitting in the community dressing room looking at himself through the mirror. He looked like hell. It had taken practically forever to get the damn bleeding to stop, and by then he had actually lost a generous ammount of blood. He felt slightly light headed and nauseous. But he needed to work tonight. He couldn't afford not to. But how could he work looking like death itself? His skin was plaer than usual, his body lightly dusted with clammy sweat and he had light bruising under his eyes. He sighed and wiped his face with a tissue, then took out his eyeliner and stared at himself firmly in the mirror. " It's just for tonight. Don't be a fucking pussy, Kujaku. Just get out there and do what you have to do. Like always." He nodded to himself in the glassy reflection feeling his resolve harden. The night's routine was simple: Dance, break, serve drinks, then dance again." You can do it, kid." The door burst open as Yami began applying the eyeliner and Bakura slapped him on the shoulder as he stalked past-probably in need of a quick costume change. <em>

_" He Yami, Marik says you're on in ten minutes." Yami nodded and with that Bakura vanished behind the dressing room closet to pick out his next attire. Finishing the last touches of his make-up Yami stood up, then walked calmly out to the club. The scene tonight was one he was all too familiar with. __Amber. Silver. Red. Black. Nightime colors all too common to his eyes. Anticipation. Want. Need. Lust. Joy. Fascination. He knew them all too well. The patrons of the Bara No Yakan ( The Night Rose) strip club always looked the same to him merging in to one group face. All he needed to do to persuade them to give up the green paper in their wallets was dance. Dance in a way no other ordinary person could. Dance with sexual promise as his partner. Dance with the devil and flirt with one's desire to entice and invite. Then when the dancing was done, fulfill that promise to the highest bidder. And any regular at the Bara No Yakan could tell you here and now that he certainly knew how to fulfill every promise he made._

_He parted the red velvet curtains draped in sparkly red beads, their shine catching the lights from the stage. With all the swagger and grace of a jungle cat he walked out on to the stage and grasped the metal pole in his hand. The white lights hit his face revealing him to the crowd. Hard crimson eyes stared out at the crowd taking in everything without really seeing anything. his pale smooth skin stretched over a body men would kill for and women wanted to posess. Lean defined muscles rippled through his flesh, the sight tantalizing the eyes pleasantly. Simply put, to them Yami was sinfully beautiful. He knew that. But more often than not he found himself hating it. But that wasn't allowed to change. Not if he wanted the money his body gave to profit. Tonight he adorned his body expertly. Dressed to kill. He had outlined his eyes with black liquid eyeliner to help disguise the shadows under his eyes. On his face he'd spread concealer to even out his pale, haggard skin to completely wash away the sick pallor to his features. The picture of health._

_On his hands were elbow length black cloth gloves torn and ripped along his arms held together almost in vain by small linked chains. His torso was cothed in a black leather vest with a single zipper down the front. On his legs riding dangerously low on his hips were shiny black leather pants, so tight they might have been painted on to his body leaving very little to the imagination. Black buckled boots finished his outfit off splendidly. By their eyes alone he could already tell they loved him and he hadn't even started yet. By the time he was done they would worship him. If the pain didn't get in the way first. All day today it had hindered and angered him. Even the simplest of movements made him want to scream. No. This was a game between him and his pain and there were no doubts allowed. Just dance. Four minutes of eye-pleasing service and then he could scream more. The lights dimmed to a sinful shade of red and the heavy rock music began blaring through the speakers, the disco ball overhead caught the lights casting blocks of red and white everywhere. Game start._

_He schooled his features to become soft and tense all at once as if just the first notes of the music had turned him on. He held on to the pole as he slid his back down it's length, then slowly came back up again. He turned then grapsed the pole with both hands and ground his hips up and down against the metal. He heard a whistle. So far so good. He came around the pole still holding on with one hand as he slowly ran his fingers through his hair with the other, shooting a sultry look at the crowd. He leaned forward and rolled his shoulders then rolled his body back and shifted his hips from side to side to the beat as he tossed his head back and forth like a wild mustang. Now for the hard part. Grittting his teeth behind closed lips he faced the pole then reached up above his head and grasped the pole with both hands tightly. Pain. He breathed deeply then with a jump lifted his body up and held it in a perfectly straight line in the air._

_He held this pose for several seconds the pain turning one of his most popular dance moves in to an excellent form of tourture. He arched his back away from the pole then let his hands slide his body back down. The music was loud. He used that to his advantage. No one heard the scream in his throat as he gave in to the pain. Already he was losing the game. But not his audience. He was panting through his nose now but the sultry, seductive look never left his face. He narrowed his eyes at the crowd as he held one hand above himself on the dancing pole. With his other hand he reached up for the zipper of his vest then pulled down. Hard, toned abs glistening with perspiration greeted the audience who looked on with shameless wonder. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he slid down the pole again. The crowd's cat calls and cheers told him he was doing just fine._

_The blood coating his hand and running in thick rivers down the shiny metal said otherwise._

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><p><em>The dance ended much later than he would have liked. Yami staggered in to the dressing room cradling his injured hand to his chest. His glove was bloody and sticky. He could tell it was going to be a bitch to take off. His hand felt like it was burning. And the pain in his hand-particuarly at his middle finger was way, way worse than before. He had to take a look. Slowly he peeled the glove off of his hand, gritting his teeth as the sticky fabric rubbed on his skin as he pulled at the fingers to loosen the hold on his palm. Then grabbing the hem with two fingers he gingerly pulled the glove off of his hand. And his middle finger fell with a dull thud on to the table, blood leaking everywhere. Yami sat frozen in his chair as he looked at his ruined hand, unbelieving. Then his senses rushed back to him as the pain flared larger than before and his nostrils were filled with the overwhelming coppery scent of blood. " Oh, God." He shakily took up his finger and pushed it back to where it was supposed to be on his hand. Then he grabbed a white towel and wrapped his whole red-dyed hand in the cloth shaking in pain and fear. He hissed in pain as the cloth constricted around him and he struggled to fight the violent churns his stomach was performing.<em>

_The room grew brighter around him and the air felt heavier. His head was light. His body was going numb. Yami took slow, measured breaths determined not to throw up in the middle of the dressing room. What ended up happening, in the opinion of his bruised pride was worse. He fainted to the floor. He didn't know how long he was out. But the sound of two voices brought him out of his stupor. He blinked blearily as the muffled voices bacame clearer, as well as the speakers. Bakura and Marik were standing over him, Bakura looking down at Yami like a parent would a child who'd had too much candy amd made himself sick on it. Marik was focused on his hand, concealed by the now bloody towel. "...Shit, look at him. You think he's been inhaling too much ambrosia or drinking too much honey?" Bakura asked, his head tilted in thought as he crossed his arms._

_" Your opinion is not needed now, Bakura. What I need now is more tangiable assistance." Marik sneered. The young british man held up his hands in defense._

_" I'm just saying!" He knew. They were wondering whether he'd just had a bad expirience with drugs or drank himself in to a bloody ( literally) stupor. Marik looked back to Bakura as Yami struggled to sit up. He'd spent enough time on the floor already. Using his good hand he began easing his way upward as the duo continued to talk. Marik jerked his head to the dressing room door._

_" Dance." The albino shook his head._

_" Like hell! Rafael's out there. He'll cut my balls off and fed them to his dogs if I so much as stare at " His" stage or performance." He shook his head and snorted dismissively. " You go out there." Marik's eyes grew stern._

_" Dance." Bakura growled in irritation...then stromed out of the door. With just a blink the tension was gone from the egyptian and he looked back down at Yami, who had situated himself in a sitting position on the floor, loosely holding on to his injured hand. Yami looked up at his boss, then looked away again. He couldn't tell him the truth. Being an...escort, exotic dancer, night host, slut-whatever the hell you wanted to call it, was like being a model. You had to be perfect. In the body as well as ( especially) in bed or the dance floor. Fullfill the fantasy that would in turn fill your wallet. One imperfection could be damning. What with his hand looking as sick as it did... His blackened skin, the blood, his MISSING FINGER. This might cost him his job. No way in hell was Marik getting the truth. " Well?" His employer was getting impatient. He had better say something._

_Bakura's earlier words came back to him and he decided to run with them. "... I decided to take a drink outside. And I..." He cleared his throat and weakly held up his bloody towel concealing the real damage. " I dropped the glass. I cut myself picking it up. I think I knicked an artery." Well it wasn't a complete lie. An artery had been severed he was sure. More than just one. Still the explination though half-assed was plausable. Marik seemed to comsider him for a long moment. Then he nodded and stepped forward holding out a hand. Mentally exhaling a sigh of relief he took the offered hand and with his help stood up. Yami's world tilted but he remained standing. He refused to faint again and further embarass himself._

_" You should go to a hospital." He knew. But that was just not possible right now. Yami shook his head._

_" Hospitals are for rich people. Don't worry. I can take care of myself." Yami offered him a small smile and Marik rolled his eyes. On his head be it. _

_" Well at least take the rest of the night off to heal. Don't worry, you'll be paid for your service tonight." Then he strode over to the long vanity table and picked up another cloth. " And for God's sake take another towel. The last thing I need is you bleeding all over the place." True. The blood was leaking from the fluffy confines and dripping on the floor now. Smooth. Yami nodded and took the extra cloth, wrapping it around his hand. Now all he had to do was make it home without passing out._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yami paused in his tale and for the first time since speaking looked at Yugi. The younger boy handn't said a word the whole time. His face was stricken with horror as he watched Atemu's duplicate speak, heard him recount what he thought had happened to him. How does one's hand just decide to fall apart?! Yami sighed and propped himself up on one elbow resting his head in his hand and smirked at Yugi. " You don't believe a word I'm saying do you?" Yugi blinked himself out of his own stupor and shook his head adamantly.<em>**

**_" No, I do." A skeptical brow was arched. " I believe you think that's what happened. But I wasn't there so I can't really say. Still... It sounds..."_**

**_" Impossible. I know." Yami sat up and rested his arms on bent knees, not ashamed to be completely nude in front of Yugi. " That's why I said you wouldn't believe me." He growled. The bedroom door burst open and Kira stood in the doorway looking anything but happy. Her face was lined with anger, her lips turned down in disapproval. Yugi jumped and covered himself further with the sheets wanting nothing more than to vanish in them. Yami remained where he was, meeting her glare with one his own._**

**_" If you two are quite finished up here, Dr. Wheeler is here to see you Atemu." Clearly she had heard them and their sexual escapade. And Kira was not happy. Yami scoffed and leaned back, no longer bashful but feeling dangerously rebellious as he exposed himself fully to Atemu's mother._**

**_" What's that quack want now?" Aknam stomped in to the room, throwing a bright blue towl at Yami-which he caught and draped lazily across his lap. _**

**_" He wants to talk to you, Atemu. He wants to asses your adjustment status." Aknamkannon walked over and glared down at his son. " And you will both be down in ten minutes. Yugi... I mean not to be harsh with you but I think it best if you return home for the day. You can come back tomorrow." He said, looking at Yugi with thinly veiled anger. Yugi meekly nodded his head. Geez. You'd think these people thought sex was a crime or something. He turned his angry gaze back to Yami. " And you will be present to speak with Joseph. Won't you." It was more of a demand than a request. Smirking Yami stood up, securing the towel in place and glared back at Aknam._**

**_" Fine, if that's what it takes to secure fucking rights." His smirk dropped. " And don't take it out on the kid. He thought he could get Atemu back by showing him love or some bullshit like that. His intentions were good." And that was actually true. He knew Yugi really was trying to help him. Yugi didn't just want the sex. Deep down he knew what he really wanted was Atemu. He was just a stand-in. And as hollow as it made him feel it was alright. At least at the end of it all one person knew he wasn't Atemu. Yugi didn't deserve to take the fall, and the couple before him didn't deserve to lose their son. But that didn't mean he wanted to make life easier for the Sennens. So he swept his bangs from his face and cockily put a hand on his hip. " Mine weren't." Kira threw her hands up and with a shake of her head turned around and walked out. Aknam picked up Yami's discarded clothes and threw them at him angrily._**

**_" Ten minutes." The the door slammed shut. The minutes preparing to greet the doctor were taken in silence. Yami shamelessly watched Yugi dress as he cleaned himself off with the towel. When the younger caught him staring he blushed that deep red again making him laugh quietly in amusement. Oh, yes. Atemu was very, very lucky to have that boy. He knew he should feel bad about taking someone else's boyfriend, but in that instant he simply couldn't bring himself to. Oh he knew he would probably succumb to guilt later. But that was later. Right now he was content to just appreciate what he had seen and what they had done. Once they were dressed the two walked down the stairs and like a gentleman, Yami escorted Yugi to the door._**

**_" Don't stay away too long, Yugi. We still have alot to talk about." Though his voice was borderline flirtatious his eyes were calm and his face serious. Yugi nodded and exhaled deeply._**

**_" I know." Yami took his hand and brought it to his lips, brushing the skin softly with a kiss. Yugi averted his eyes bashfully and Yami smirked before pulling away. Yugi took back his hand and tucked it to his jeans, as if he had a mind to wipe the kiss away. He hesitated then seemed to think else of it and instead let his hand fall to his side. " Definitely not Atemu." He murmured. But loud enough for Yami to hear._**

**_" No. I'm not."_**

**_" I know. I know that now." Yugi opened the door and stepped outside. He turned back to Yami and nodded to him. " See you later." Yami only nodded back then closed the door after Yugi. Now that the fun was over... With a heavy sigh he strolled in to the livingroom and lo and behold, Dr. Feelgood was sitting with Kira and Aknam, both parents talking to him in low voices. The stress on their faces was evident. Yami cleared his throat and all three turned their undivided attention to him. Joseph smiled at him softly and waved him over with a hand. Kira and Aknam both stood and walked over to him. Kira forced a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. Reflexively he wanted to brush that hand away. But instinctually something told him to belay that action, so he stood still._**

**_" Atemu honey, Dr. Wheeler wants to have a private session so we won't be with you."_**

**_" Good." Aknam cleared his throat to dispel the awkward tension and leveled his gaze with his son's._**

**_" We'll be in the dining room if you need either of us." Yami shrugged and stepped back from Kira's hand._**

**_" While forming words then relaying them to another individual can be very hard, I think I can manage this one on my own." Yami walked past them and sat down on the couch opposite the doctor. Aknamkannon's brows furrowed with displeasure. He opened his mouth about to retort when Kira quickly took his hand in to her own._**

**_" Walk with me, Darling?" Gently she pulled him from the room. And then there were two. Yami heaved another sigh and slouched back in to the cushions. He REALLY wasn't in the mood for this. He was messed up. He was going through trauma. He had D.I.D. He needed help HE GOT IT! If that's what everyone was determined to belive then that was what they believed. Did he really need it shoved in to his face every time he saw this brooklyn doctor?_**

**_" So what do you want now?" Dr. Wheeler shrugged and leaned back in to the couch staring at the young man across from him. He pulled out that trusty little silver recorder he loved so much and switched it on, holding it loosely in his hand._**

**_" Jus' ta chat. How was ya first night home?" _**

**_" I don't know. None of you will let me go." Dr. Wheeler nodded and tilted his head curiously._**

**_" Where do you live, Yami?" He snorted and crossed his arms._**

**_" I already told you guys. I live in an apartment complex downtown."_**

**_" Can you give me an' adress?"_**

**_" 1234 kissmyass lane." Dr. Wheeler chuckled and shook his head._**

**_" Can you give me a real one?"_**

**_" 5678 notyourdamnbuisness drive." It seemed getting Yami to open up would prove to be more difficult than he first anticipated. He had hoped familiar surroundings might inspire familiar emotions in Atemu. It seemed all it had done was further irritate Yami. But...there was another thing they could try._**

**_" Yami, do you not wanna be here talking to me?" Yami's face took on a look of mocking surprise._**

**_" No shit, Sherlock." Yami rubbed his eyes and leaned his head back. " I just want to be left alone. By all of you." Joseph nodded and pulled out a pocketwatch._**

**_" Well I can make one of 'dem people diappear. Me." He held up the pocketwatch and Yami eyed it skeptically. Was this douche planning on hypnotizing him?_**

**_" Let's play a game. Simply put: I'm going to try to hypnotize ya. Since you don't wanna talk ta me now, maybe you'll open up with a hypnotic incentive. If I hypnotize ya, ya talk to me. If I don't, then I'll leave for the next two days. Sound fair?" yami mulled it over in his mind. He didn't think hypnosis was such a good idea. What if he made him do stupid stuff like duck quacks or pretending to be a dog? As if sensing his thoughts Joseph laughed good-naturedly at Yami's cautious look. " Don't worry. I won't make you act like a cheerleader or perform cow moos if that's what you're worried about. I just wanna talk." Yami pondered this over again. If all he wanted to do was talk, then there may be no harm in it. And maybe subconsciously he could tell this guy something to prove he wasn't Atemu. It might not be so bad..._**

**_" You get an hour." Dr. Wheeler smiled and stood up. He walked over to the footrest and sat down on it so that he was facing Yami. He dangled the pocketwatch in his line of vision and began moving it back and fourth. _**

**_" Jus follow da watch."_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two and a half hours later and the three adults were sitting in the living room, Yami having gone back up to Atemu's bedroom after the session. It had taken him forty minutes to finally succumb to the hypnosis, though he speculated it was out of sheer boredom that he had done so. He didn't know what he had said to the doctor and he really didn't wanna know. All he knew was that when he woke up the good doctor seemed really excited when he opened his eyes. And his anger, along with the nerve-grating knowledge that he lost the bet, was sent sky-high when Dr. Wheeler called him " Atemu" when he woke up. So he knew whatever he said didn't help him at all. Yami shot up from the couch and stormed out of the living room and back to the bedroom shutting himself in. Now The doctor was itting in the diningroom with Atemu's parents. And he had much to tell them.<em>**

**_" So how was the session? Did you get him to talk at all?" Aknam asked. Joseph nodded and smiled. He sipped lightly at the tea Mrs. Sennen had poured him before answering._**

**_" Yes, I've made signifigant progress with him today. I got him to agree to a hypnosis session." Kira's mouth fell open in surprise as Aknam's brows rose skywards. It was like pulling teeth from a live shark just to get him to talk to them civily. _**

**_" And how did you do that?" Atemu's father asked, his voice holding both skepticism and surprise. Joseph laughed._**

**_" Simple. I made a bet with him. If I couldn't hypnotize him in a hour, I had to leave. he put up a good fight. It took me forty minutes to get him under." Kira giggled quietly and shook his head. _**

**_" Well it looks like both Yami and Atemu are as stubborn as ever." Aknam leaned forward and watched the doctor imploringly._**

**_" So what did you talk about?" The doctor's cheeriness mellowed as he became more thoughtful. It certainly wasn't what he had been expecting when he began their session._**

**_" I discovered he'd been holding in alot a secrets. I asked him who his motha was. He said her name was Mai Kujaku. No father ta speak of." Kira's face fell in sadness. Aknam kept his face blank." He told me before in da hospital she died of an overdose. I asked him to elaborate, and apparently he found her dead in da apartment along with a scuicide note, a mysterious cashed check, a picture and a small ammount of money, all stashed away in a hidden floorboard at the place Yami calls home. 1852 Crossridge road. Apartment 16D. He wants to go back. Den I asked him about his first night here. Yami said he didn't sleep so great. He had a dream about Atemu." Both parents instantly became alert at this point. _**

**_" Apparently 'dis has been goi'n on eva since he first woke up in da hospital. Every night he dreams he's in a dark place, and in front of him is a mirror. His reflection calls itself " Atemu." He looks just like Yami, only he has no new arm or leg. Instead he has bloody stumps wrapped in cloth. Atemu says he's always hurt in some way when he sees him. They talk in his dreams." Kira gasped out a sob and blinked rapidly to stave off her tears. Aknam held her hand tightly._**

**_" What does Atemu say?" She asked quietly. Joseph's expression went from professional to sympathetic._**

**_" He's in pain. He doesen't know where he is. Atemu's scared, and wants to come home. Something's keeping him from doing that. Someone."_**

**_" Oh, God!" Kira placed a hand over her mouth as Aknam glared at the table. So someone was holding his son back from them. He had an idea who._**

**_" Is it Yami?" He asked, his tone dangerous. Joseph shook his head adamantly._**

**_" No. On da contrary Yami's not happy about bei'n confused with Atemu. He wants Atemu back just so that everyone can see he ain't him. He wants ta help Atemu so he can go back to his own life da way he knows it. Yami jus' don't know how. All he knows about Atemu's current whereabouts are in his dreams." Kira nodded and swept her hair from her shoulder, regaining some of her composure as Aknam continued to listen. " At da end of da session I tried to draw Atemu out. I told him to wake up as Atemu, letting him know it was safe to come forward. I snapped my fingers, 'an he opened his eyes. When I called him Atemu... Yami flipped me off and walked out." He smiled a little at the memory. To be that young and have that much spirit... His endurance was commendable._**

**_" So what do you think this means, Dr. wheeler?" Joseph smiled at Kira and her husband._**

**_" I think 'dis means dat your son isn't as far away as we think. I think what's holding him back is da one who hurt him. Atemu hasn't begun da healing process like Yami has, proven by da state Yami sees him in: Hurt and unable to heal. No new limbs or any signs of moving on. It's da man who hurt 'dem both-Da Red man Yami was telling us about who's holding Atemu back. I have a feeling when he's caught and convocted Atemu may feel safe enough to begin to emerge. Right now he's communicating with Yami through dreams as a way to gauge the goings-on of da outside world. Yami's dreams are Atemu's way of reachi'n out. So yes, Atemu's still in there." Kira laughed joyously as Aknam let tears of happiness fall from his eyes._**

**_" So our son has hope."_**

**_" Yeah, penty of it. It's more important now more dan eva to find da man who hurt them and bring him ta justice. After 'dat it'll only be a matter a time before Atemu comes back." Unknown to all of them a lone figure sat at the top of the stairs, listening to their every word. Curiosity killed the cat after all. He'd been unable to ignore the voices floating up to Atemu's room and his own curiosity led him to the discussion they were having now. Damn they were celebrating for shit's sake. They thought more than ever he and Atemu were one in the same. At this point trying to prove otherwise was going to be next to impossible. Yami wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his head on his arms._**

**_" You are all so fucking wrong."_**

* * *

><p><strong><em>And that's it for now! So what do you think of the psyche eval? More YamixYugi anyone? Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!<em>**


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